largely symbolic today, the Coonawarra Railway platform, with its solitary tin shed, represents the beginnings of an important modern South Australian wine region. John Parker recognised the potential of Coonawarra while overseeing Hungerford Hill’s new vineyard investments. During the 1970s, a planting boom was taking place. The relatively cool climate, weathered terra rossa limestone soils, and seemingly unlimited access to ground water had captured the imagination of Australia’s corporate wine businesses. All of the key players, including Mildara, Wynns, Penfolds, and Lindeman’s, had purchased land and/or vineyards to guarantee fruit supply for claret type wines. Although the Coonawarra Fruit Colony had specified to its blockers to plant two thirds shiraz and one third cabernet sauvignon during the 1890s, the growing market for claret style during this time demanded that cabernet sauvignon be the star grape variety. By the early 1980s, wine writer Hugh Johnson described Coonawarra as the Medoc of the Southern Hemisphere. Among the key viticulturalists and growers in the region was Doug Balnaves, who had assisted Hungerford Hill in developing its vineyards. During the mid 1980s, a 50-hectare parcel of terra rossa land at the southern end of Coonawarra, near the township of Penola, became available for sale. After it was acquired by John Parker, Doug Balnaves planted the Abbey Vineyard, named after its former owners, with cabernet cuttings sourced from Hungerford Hill and Reynella vineyards. The provenance of this colonial vinestock material dates back to the earliest importation of cabernet sauvignon by William Macarthur in 1837. The Reynell Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, derived from Carew Reynell’s selections during the early 1900s, is probably genetic material originating from Camden Park nurseries in New South Wales. In 1845, John Reynell ordered vine cuttings from William Macarthur, including ‘1000 Scyras [ sic ], 1000 Carbenet [ sic ] Sauvignon and 1000 Malbec’. The original cabernet sauvignon vinestock ‘amongst the best sorts cultivated in the Medoc’ were brought out by Monsieur Didier Numa Joubert in 1837, and soon after planted at Camden Vineyards. Macarthur’s testimony of this material ‘being amongst the most valuable of our acquisitions’ suggests that he propagated these vines for commercial
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The Vintage Journal – Verticals
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