Description
Chapel Hill Winery in McLaren Vale was built on the site of the Seaview Chapel and school house. The 1865 ironstone Chapel still stands today and is an integral feature of the popular tasting room. The winery founder, Thomas Nelson, hand planted the vineyard on the estate commencing in 1972 with the first vintage in 1975. Perched on the edge of the spectacular Onkaparinga Gorge in the elevated northern end of McLaren Vale, shallow rocky soils are a feature of the site with some of the geographical formations dating back 600 million years.
McLaren Vale’s maritime climate, influenced by the nearby Gulf St Vincent, provides excellent ripening conditions and minimal disease pressure.
Under the guidance of winemakers Michael Fragos and Bryn Richards, Chapel Hill strives to hand craft wines with purity and balance. To pursue this belief of “sense of place”, all of the grapes and wines are handled gently in small batches with a sensitive winemaking philosophy.
The red wines are open fermented, plunged and basket pressed and are naturally clarified (without fining or filtration) to ensure the wonderful site and varietal characters are nurtured and protected.
