Hoddles Creek Estate
Hoddles Creek Estate was established in 1997 when the D'Anna family decided to establish a vineyard on the property that has been in the family since 1960. The vineyard sits astride Gembrook road and adjacent Hoddles Creek. Its steeply sloping blocks prohibit mechanical harvesting, with both vineyards being hand pruned and harvested. All our wines, which are single vineyard, estate grown, are made in our 300 tonne winery, constructed for the 2003 vintage. The split-level winery has a barrel store located three meters underground. Hoddles Creek Estate is planted with 10ha of pinot noir (five clones), 6 ha of chardonnay, 1ha each of sauvignon blanc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, and 1.5ha of pinot gris.
THE VINEYARDS
Hoddles Creek Estate is located in the Upper Yarra, which is higher, cooler and more marginal than the lower Yarra, The vineyard is cropped at less than 2.5 tonnes per acre. Being in a marginal climate, requires extensive canopy management. Over the last decade we have been focusing on minimal chemical use in the vineyard. We are starting to see the benefits of health soils and vines with more balanced wines.
Winemaker Franco d'Anna
Franco D’Anna was born into a family with fair wine credentials, having established and run one of Melbourne’s legendary wine stores since the 1960s. A childhood in wine retail blossomed into a career in winemaking when the family put down some literal roots in the cool of the Upper Yarra Valley in 1997. D’Anna uses the classic Yarra vehicles of chardonnay and pinot noir, plus pinot blanc, to turn out wines of significant sophistication, minus the obvious winemaker trappings – svelte, varietal and deeply characterful. D’Anna was the Young Gun of Wine People’s Choice winner for 2010.