Certified organic and biodynamic McLaren Vale reds and rosé from Walter Clappis, daughter Kimberly Cooter and James Cooter
The estate vineyard lies in the Willunga foothills of McLaren Vale, with Gulf St Vincent 10 km to the west. Rich loam topsoil sits over a clay subsoil, with pockets of limestone beneath. The vineyard sits on the Christies Beach Formation, red-brown alluvial clays, sands and gravels washed off the Sellicks Hill Range about 125,000 years ago.
The vineyard is certified organic and biodynamic by Southern Cross Certified and farmed without pesticides or herbicides. Undervine slashing and mid-row cover crops control weeds, while stalks and marc are composted with cow manure and returned to the vines.
Walter Clappis has made wine for around 40 years, 20 of them as owner of Ingoldby. He still makes the Hedonist wines, now with his daughter Kimberly Cooter and her partner James Cooter.
Kimberly and James spent a year from 2005 at Alexander Valley Vineyards in California, then studied winemaking at Charles Sturt University. James joined the Hedonist team in 2007 after vintages at Hardys Tintara in McLaren Vale.