Chapel Hill Winery

Originally the Christian Bible Church for the local area, then later also used as a parish school; the chapel closed in its centenary year (1965) and fell into disrepair until its restoration in the 1970s by Adelaide Professor Tom Nelson. Tom commenced the establishment of a winery and the Chapel Hill brand in 1973 and six years later the site was purchased by a partnership of the Sellick and Gerrard families who enjoyed considerable success in developing the Chapel Hill wines.  Gerrard bought out the Sellick family in the 80’s.  A new winery was constructed in 1994 with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes, the equivalent of around 80,000 cases of wine.  In 2000, Chapel Hill was acquired by the Swiss based family of Thomas Schmidheiny.

Chapel Hill owns and operates 44 hectares of vineyards and purchases fruit from a select group of McLaren Vale vignerons. Since 2006 there have been a number of significant changes within the business.  Changes to vineyards, wine styles, packaging and personnel have significantly contributed to a new look Chapel Hill that is totally dedicated to producing the best possible quality range of wines that articulate the stylistic expression of the region.

In 2003 we opened The Retreat showcasing the very best of McLaren Vale regional food, wine and accommodation experiences.

There are two vineyards that comprise the Chapel Hill Estate.  The Winery Vineyard was first planted in 1977 by Tom Nelson after he purchased the Old Chapel and adjoining land in 1973.  At our Winery Vineyard we are fortunate to be the custodians of one of the most unique and inspiring sites in McLaren Vale.  The gentle undulating soils, which are derived from prized ancient rock formations, are further enhanced by our elevation as the site perfectly capitalises on the beneficial coastal influence.

For this reason we decided to showcase the splendour of our winery vineyards in ‘The Chosen’ range of single block wines, consisting of:

• Road Block Shiraz
• House Block Shiraz
• Gorge Block Cabernet Sauvignon
• and the Gorge Block Chardonnay, which sits in our McLaren Vale range.

Grape varieties that are planted at the 14 hectare Winery Vineyard include Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Mourvedre.

The Kangarilla Vineyard was first planted in 1995.  The vineyard is nestled in the foothills of the Mt Lofty Ranges. Due to the influence of the slight elevation and the moderating affect of the cooling gully breezes we are able to achieve favourable slower ripening conditions to obtain optimum flavour development, whilst still retaining stylish varietal definition and purity.

As a result we have focussed our white varieties at the Kangarilla Vineyard as it is an ideal site within McLaren Vale to capture the more delicate fruit characters associated with these white varieties.  The more moderate climate is also conducive to nurturing some of the more charismatic European varieties that have not acclimatised to our warmer Australian summer temperatures.

Grape varieties that are planted at the 27 hectare Kangarilla Vineyard include Chardonnay, Verdelho, Sangiovese and Shiraz.

As an active member of the local community, wine industry and the broader global community, we believe we have a responsibility to pursue sustainable practices across all aspects of our business and be aware of the impacts of our actions.

ENVIRONMENT

Our environmental policy is to ensure we make the most efficient use of our limited resources.  We are highly conscious of our responsibility towards our neighbours and the Onkaparinga National Park that we border.  Current projects include:

• embracing the McLaren Vale Sustainable Winegrowing Australia program in our winery vineyards
• upgrading our refrigeration plant, thus minimising energy and water use
• using reclaimed water from the Willunga Basin Water Company to irrigate our vineyards
• increasing our rain catchment areas
• recycling winery waste water through our reed beds and back on to the vineyards
• composting winery marc  and spreading it on our vineyards
• reducing chemical usage
• revegetating our Kangarilla vineyard creek line with local native species to improve the wildlife corridor

SOCIAL

Chapel Hill is involved in various local activities, with team members active on local, state and industry committees and boards.