Nestled in the rugged far north reaches of Tasmania, the Ghost Rock estate now spans 27 hectares of hand-tended, meticulously and sustainably managed vineyards. Cate and Colin Arnold established the Ghost Rock property, just east of Devonport, in 2001. At that time there were scant established plantings and no real viticultural industry to speak of – but they took on their pioneering role with ease and the estate is now run by second-generation Arnold and his wife Alicia, with right-hand viticultural dynamo, Izaak Pearson, taking the reins in the vineyard.
The health of the property and the vines take centre stage at Ghost Rock: no pesticides; minimal herbicide use; under-vine cultivation; cover crops; sheep-grazing; minimal machine operations; and vine-pruning material mulching.
The Riesling fruit comes from the Oulton, Bonadale, and Iris vineyards—three very distinct sites despite their proximity. Oulton is the warmest and lowest-cropping site, so it was picked first. Bonadale and Iris followed shortly after.
The fruit was picked in the early morning and pressed immediately to a 50/50 combination of steel tanks and seasoned large-format barrels. A lick of residual sugar was left to balance the fresh acid spine, and the wine matured for two months with occasional lees stirring to promote texture and complexity in the final wine.
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