Cannibal Creek Chardonnay 2022

Winemaker and viticulturist Patrick Hardiker established the Cannibal Creek Vineyard in 1997 in the Tynong Valley, at Tynong North on the fringe of Gippsland in Victoria. At an elevation of 102m above sea level and with fourteen daylight hours in the grape growing season, the conditions are ideal for producing cool climate wines.

Cannibal Creek's philosophy is simple; to create unique wines of exceptional quality. Cultural practices ensure low-yielding vines that produce intensely flavoured fruit. The grapes are handpicked and minimal winemaking handling techniques are employed. The granite soils, weathered from the granite foothills of the Black Snake Ranges, are responsible for the mineral and flinty characters in the wines.

About the winery

Patrick and Kirsten Hardiker purchased their 29ha farming property in the Tynong Valley, at Tynong North on the fringe of Gippsland in Victoria, in 1988. The property has a soil profile of sandy silt, overlying silty granite clays, weathered from the granite foothills of the Black Snake Ranges. That, together with an elevation of 102m above sea level and fourteen daylight hours in the grape growing season, make conditions ideal for a cool climate vineyard. Cannibal Creek's journey began in 1997 with plantings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Granite soils tend to be acidic. It has been shown in these types of soils that the grapes themselves can lack acid. This influences their approach to viticulture and winemaking and they believe the granite soils are responsible for the mineral and flinty characters in the wines, both reds and whites.

Varieties planted include pinot noir, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. The family established the winery in an old farm barn built in the early 1900s, and In 2016 a new cellar door and restaurant, designed by Enarchitects and hand-built by Patrick, was opened.