Small Valley wines are made at Kaesler Winery, with a winemaking philosophy centred on preserving the freshness, purity and varietal character of our Gumeracha fruit.
Fruit is picked with a focus on flavour, natural acidity and balance, with early-morning harvesting used to preserve freshness.
Gentle fruit handling and pressing are used throughout the range. Fermentation is tailored to each variety and parcel, using a combination of stainless steel and French oak. Lees contact is used selectively to build texture, complexity and palate weight without compromising freshness.
Oak is used as a supporting element rather than a dominant character, with French barriques and puncheons employed where appropriate.
For red wines, extraction is kept considered and gentle, allowing fruit, perfume and site expression to remain at the forefront.
Across the range, the aim is to make wines with clarity, balance and a distinctly cool-climate expression.
The Estate range is focused on purity, freshness and immediate varietal expression. Winemaking is deliberately restrained, allowing the fruit and cool-climate character of Gumeracha to lead.
The Reserve range takes a more detailed, small-batch approach, beginning with carefully selected parcels of hand-picked fruit.
Techniques including whole-bunch pressing or fermentation, wild yeast, extended lees ageing and longer maturation in French oak are used where appropriate to build greater texture, structure and complexity.
While the Estate wines capture the freshness and vibrancy of Small Valley, the Reserve wines explore the depth, detail and individual expression of our best vineyard parcels.