Xabregas

Xabregas has rapidly exceeded expectations of a small producer, collecting a bounty of awards and outstanding wine reviews including Gold at the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2007 and 2008 in London, the Qantas Wine Show of Western Australia and the New Zealand International Wine Show 2007 and 2008. Xabregas received a Five Star rating and the title of Best Mt Barker Winery in James Halliday’s - Australian Wine Companion 2007. The initial Xabregas wine production was limited to 2,800 cases and each year has increased in quality and quantity, with the 2008 bottling yielding 18,000 cases. The Xabregas brand is now synonymous with quality and value and has become a much sought after label.

Xabregas has three outstanding vineyards totaling 140 hectares on sites 10kms south of Mount Barker - Fig Tree Lane, The Spencer Vineyard and the Narrikup Vineyard. White varieties planted are Riesling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and reds include the quintessential Cabernet Sauvignon along with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Shiraz. The vineyards supply fruit on contract to some of Western Australia’s most acclaimed wineries including, Howard Park, Houghtons, Forest Hill and Harewood.

Western Australia is the island continent’s largest state. It spans over a third of the sprawling Australian land mass, yet its premium vinemaking regions are almost entirely concentrated in the glorious south-western portion, with many of the very finest vineyards and wineries now established in the cooler Great Southern region. Skirting the south-west Australian coast for over 200 kilometres (125 miles) and pushing northwards back into the hinterland almost 100 kilometres (60 miles) it ranges from the coastal, maritime sub-regions of Albany and Denmark to the premium inland and continental vineyards of Mount Barker.

The climate is similar to that of Bordeaux in France, tending to be slightly warmer on the higher sites. Ideal for premium vines from Riesling, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The predominant soils lateritic gravelly sandy loams (marri country) or sandy loams deriving directly from granite and gneissic bedrocks. They are typically a rich brown to earthy grey brown in colour, producing very high quality fruit of moderate to low yields per acre. Harvest time generally ranges from mid March to early May.

Mount Barker became the birthplace of the Great Southern wine industry in the early 1950s when first recommended for grape vines by the revered American viticulturalist Harold Olmo. Most wineries and vineyards in Mount Barker were established on the gently undulating ground to the west of Albany Highway - distinguished by their rich, gravelly loam soil called “marri” providing the excellent drainage qualities and relatively low fertility required for low-yield premium fruit.

The climate is maritime influenced Mediterranean, with lower levels of humidity and more sunshine than the coast. Elevation, aspect and site vary, but in general terms the climate is similar to that of Bordeaux in France, tending to be slightly warmer on the higher sites. Ideal for premium vines from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Riesling to Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. A passion for quality winemaking from the ground up sees the winemaking team intrinsically entwined with each vineyard throughout the course of fruit management. So much so that the viticulture team make themselves readily available to work with on clients vineyards to the most exacting standards - right through to providing state-of-the-art harvesting technology and supervised fruit transport to the winery.

But the story of the Vintage Wineworx doesn’t stop or indeed begin in the winery and its talented, hi-technology heart. It is born in the vineyard, rooted in the passionate embrace of terroir and the pinnacle of viticultural best practice. This is what really separates the Vintage Wineworx from other wineries that offer contract winemaking. Truly a testimony to the exceptional quality of fruit produced at Xabregas.