Golden Ball Vineyard

The Golden Ball is located in North East Victoria within the Geographical Wine Indication of the Beechworth Wine Region.

From an English land grant of 1857 Mr Isaac Phillips named the 1900 acres, Golden Ball after his favourite London hotel. Presently, now 53 acres, the property purchased in 1996 by James McLaurin. Consisting of the 1996 Original Vineyard and in 2005 the Lineage Vineyard.

Our philosophy of care to our land encompasses our vineyards as well as the remaining area of Golden Ball with tree planting and water care.  

Wines produced are là-bas Chardonnay, bona-fide Savagnin CHERISH Rose, SAXON Shiraz and GALLICE(Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec).

Low yields result in intensely flavoured wines being taken up by Australia’s greatest 1, 2 and 3 hatted restaurants and our private clients through our mailing list. Our wines are reviewed by wine critics of esteem both nationally and internationally.

ORIGINAL VINEYARD

• 4.5 acres (2 hectares) 1996
• Chardonnay (grafted in 2014 from Shiraz)
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Malbec
• first vintage 2002
• rows run Northeast/Southwest
• slight Northwest facing, gentle slope
• planted on deep decomposed granite and light clay
• 800 mm cordon height
• loose VSP canopy (vertical shoot position)

LINEAGE VINEYARD

• 3.5 acres (1.5 hectares) 
• Planted 2005
• Close planted unicordon
• Shiraz
• Savagnin
• Cabernet Sauvignon (not producing)
• Petit Verdot (not producing)
• Sagrantino (not producing)
• 800 mm cordon
• North/Northwest facing, granite buckshot site
• Rows run up steep hill facing North/Northwest
• loose VSP canopy (vertical shoot position)

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

In September 2005 we began planting three acres of a six acre site to Shiraz, on a north/north west facing slope.

In 2009, half an acre of Savagnin, a white French variety. Spring 2010, some Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Sagrantino. The new varieties on this slope should do very well and suit the micro-climate. There are no CCA (copper-chromium-arsenate) pine posts used, only railway iron and red box/Murray pine plantation timber. This vineyard will be organically principled to begin, and then the biodynamic ethos introduced. 

Since July 2010 we have been producing our own electricity, through a five kW solar grid feed system. 

In December 2013 we grafted some original vines to two excellent Burgundian Chardonnay clones. The grafts have annealed very well. The excellent cool site has produced our first Golden Ball Chardonnay for the 2015 vintage.