History
A family boutique estate high in the Adelaide Hills, an area creating huge excitement in the wine industry for its ‘fine wine’ potential.
Set 450m high in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, this boutique winery was the brainchild of well-known Australian winemaker John Edwards.
His long-held dream was to produce wines with true elegance, bringing together expressive Australian fruit with the refined structure he so admired in Old World Classics such as Burgundian Chardonnay and Rhône Syrah.
Convinced of the unique qualities of the Adelaide Hills region and its potential for ‘fine wine’, John scoured the area for suitable sites.
It was two years before he came upon the land he was looking for – at the end of a small lane in the village of Hahndorf. In 1993, ‘The Lane’ vineyards were born! The Adelaide Hills is one of Australia’s most distinctive areas for grape-growing.
Its relatively cool climate (for Australia at least!) and, crucially, fresher night-time temperatures give the vines a chance to rest, promoting delicate flavours and fine natural acidities in the wines.
The Edwards family have now passed the baton to a talented new team, including Head Winemaker, Turon White, one of the most exciting young winemakers working in the Adelaide Hills region today.
A passion for place influences everything at The Lane. Turon and his team analyse the varied soils and slopes within the vineyards, matching grape varieties to the myriad microclimates and aspects available to them.
Meticulous vineyard husbandry, traditional and modern winemaking techniques, experimentation with yeasts, fine lees and use of old and new French oak, all play their part in the quality of the wines. Their mission is to create memorable, vibrant wines that truly express the land they come from.
VINEYARD
The vineyards situated 450m high in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. The climate is relative cool. When Adelaide is sweltering in 40º heat, The Lane vineyards are often 4º cooler and, crucially, night-time temperatures can be even fresher. This gives the vines a chance to rest, promoting the delicate flavours, fine natural acidities and elegance in the wines.
The Adelaide Hills are 1800 million years old and Gravel/limestone topsoil over red clay is acidic (giving the vines an amount of ‘good’ stress – beneficial for quality).
Environmentally friendly techniques are adopted to encourage natural balance and long-term biodiversity in the vineyard. Many of the vineyards are farmed according to full organic principles, with some biodynamic experiments in train.
Canopy management is an important aspect of vineyard management here, promoting airflow and sun exposure through the grape bunches – this helps ripen the grapes while controlling pests and diseases with minimal recourse to chemicals.
Grapes are harvested in April specifically at night when cool to minimise oxidation. The winery is located at the heart of the vineyards which means that (unlike many Australian producers who may have to truck their harvest for hours to reach the winery) The Lane’s grapes can be picked when they are at their optimum ripeness and pressed quickly, maximising their delicate aromas and flavours.
