Garden & Field

It is over 100 years since the Schilling family cleared the land of its granite boulders, built cottages from the rocks and planted a vineyard. In the late 1970s the property was sold and when the Vine Pull Scheme was legislated, the new owners removed the vines. Another decade passed and the property was again on the market. Viticulturist Peter Raymond and wife Melissa purchased it and set about preparing 3.6ha for planting. One fine Saturday, a group of octogenarian men armed with picks and shovels came to help plant 3500 vines on what they regarded as holy viticultural land. Penfolds now buys most of the grapes for its RWT Shiraz, but the Raymonds keep enough to make a small amount of wine each year. -JAMES HALLIDAY