St. John's Road

After managing a B&B in the south of France, Martin and Vivien Rawlinson were inspired to establish St John’s Road in 2001, with a vision to produce full flavoured, yet elegant, wines which reflect the essence of the Barossa.

Custodianship of St John’s Road now rests with Phil Lehmann, Jonathon Hesketh, Dale Wyman, Alister Mibus and a variety of Barossa wine growing families. Their aim is to uphold Martin and Vivien’s vision of producing wines that are not only true to the Barossa, but also the sub districts and vineyards they are grown in.

The St John’s Road 'Resurrection Vineyard' is located in the highly regarded Ebenezer sub-district of the Barossa Valley; an area that Phil Lehmann has long held faith in to produce powerful and soulful reds. The 20Ha site is Shiraz predominant (>90%) with small pockets of Grenache, and more recently planted Sangiovese. Added appeal of this particular vineyard comes from the significant diversity present; a substantial variance in vine age, soil depth, aspect and vine selection has provided Phil with an exceptional palette to work with.

The most elevated point of our Resurrection Vineyard sits at 324m, where the soils are shallow and rocky, producing intensely flavoured fruit from low-yielding blocks. Along the northern boundary a striking 15m soil profile can be viewed overlooking the St Kitts Creek, showcasing the vibrant, red Ebenezer dirt impregnated with ironstone. It is within these deep, rich clay soils that our oldest vines thrive: five acres of twisted, gnarly old Shiraz vines planted during the '30s Great Depression. Phil likens the preservation of these old vines to 'respecting your elders', with the individual vines cared for year-round by Warwick (Wazza) Murray.

The gentle roll of the Eastern, to South-Western facing slopes provide varying exposure to light and heat during the day, an element of frost protection, and in sections, early ripening vines. These aspects combined add levels of complexity and difference to the St John's Road wines, showcasing the diversity apparent within the Barossa growing region.

St John's Road is more than simply a name or a label; it is the collaboration of three important elements – People, Places and Time! It is the dirt the grapes are grown on. Not simply Barossa dirt, but the sub-regions of the Barossa where our fruit is grown. Ebenezer, Koonunga, Moppa, Maranaga, Greenock, Bethany, High Eden, Stockwell. All of which produce their own unique flavour profile.

It's not simply the sub-regional footprint. It's the generations of traditional Barossa growers who understand their blocks intimately. Knowledge that is only garnered by working with their vineyards for decades, and passing on knowledge from generation to generation. Kalleske, Tscharke, Hoffman, John, Zander, Riley, Murray, Hearnden, Hampel. Lehmann.

It's not just the traditional Barossa family growers. It's also our Barossa winemakers. Lehmann, Ormsby, Walsh. Winemakers who are not only incredibly skilled, but who are able to work hand-in-glove with our growers and understand the region intimately. Winemakers who combine this knowledge with their winemaking skills to produce the best possible results.

Our wines ultimately represent generations of knowledge, hard work and experience; principles that go into every bottle of wine that we make and every glass of St John’s Road that we share.