The estate's wines are all produced from a single four acre vineyard in a small valley at Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula. The conditions are excellent, deep, well drained red basalt soils nurture the vines, as the cool maritime climes lead to a long, slow ripening period. Starting from scratch in 1991, the north facing 1.6 hectare vineyard surrounded by bushland now has 5000 hand tended vines of mostly Pinot Noir with a small block of Pinot Meunier. Here at Rahona Valley, the vines are mature and the drinkers are noticing the difference. All vines are own rooted, so provided there are a couple more generations of dedicated vignerons and winemakers, characteristics should compare with Burgundy. Rahona Valley's best wines are aged in the barrel for 18 months or more, whereas the normal process is to bottle after 12 months so that barrels can be reused for the next harvest. Rahona Valley»