Estate Grown, Estate Made

Situated in the Fleurieu region of South Australia, McLaren Vale is nestled within the southern Mount Lofty Ranges. With its close proximity to the Gulf of St Vincent to the west, the resulting Mediterranean-type climate ensures the grapes enjoy a long, even ripening period, producing wines of exceptional flavour and generosity.  

DOWIE DOOLE's Estate Vineyards are in two of McLaren Vale's most sought-after sub-regions; the Dowie Vineyard on the cool sandy slopes of Blewitt Springs and the Doole Vineyard on the ancient rocks of Tatachilla. As a member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, our vineyards are a healthy living ecosystem that allows a true expression of the vineyard's natural terroir. We also believe in generational farming, so as current custodians of the land, we must nurture it to ensure it is cherished for many future generations to enjoy. So, when you visit us, please forgive the weeds; we are not lazy, just healthy!

DOWIE DOOLE's wines are crafted to capture the essence of the vineyards and the vintage in which they were grown and produced. As a genuine grower-producer, all wines are made in our estate winery on our Dowie Vineyard. In the case of the single vineyard block wines - an expression of each vineyard's individuality. This sense of place – encapsulated in a bottle- has earned DOWIE DOOLE a reputation for crafting regionally distinctive wines. Put simply... our winemaking starts in the vineyard. 

All wines are crafted with minimal intervention winemaking techniques, and no animal or dairy-based winemaking aids are used to create our wines. 

WINEMAKING


Chief Winemaker - Chris Thomas

Chris Thomas has been involved with DOWIE DOOLE since 2008 but officially became Chief Winemaker in 2011. 

Chris has completed over 20 vintages from when he first started working in wineries whilst undertaking his winemaking studies. He graduated with a Bachelor of Oenology from The University of Adelaide in 2003, one of the world's most highly regarded Oenology degrees, alongside UC Davis California and the University of Bordeaux. Over his winemaking career, he has gained a wealth of experience working for top wineries, including Fox Creek and Serafino Wines in McLaren Vale; also internationally at Domaine Changarnier in Burgundy, France. 

Since becoming Chief Winemaker, Chris's attention to detail and commitment to crafting wines of the highest quality has been recognised in Australia and internationally. 

Wine Australia acknowledged Chris's commitment and passion for the Australian Wine sector in 2019 when he was accepted into the Wine Australia Future Leaders Programme. This highly regarded programme is only run every two years with a total intake of 15 future leaders of the Australian wine industry. 

When Chris isn't crafting wines of exceptional quality, he travels the world spreading the DOWIE DOOLE story. 

VINEYARDS


McLaren Vale has a warm and dry Mediterranean climate coupled with cooling breezes from the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Gulf St Vincent. With their differing elevations, vineyards' proximity to the mountains or ocean creates unique microclimates, offering great diversity in the regions' wines. 

Dowie Vineyard - Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale


The Dowie Vineyard is on the cool sandy slopes of Blewitt Springs, the northernmost sub-region of McLaren Vale, and has some of the oldest vines. The rainfall in this sub-region is higher, and the average temperature is lower. The Grenache and Shiraz vines were saved from the 1980′s vine pull scheme and are up to 70 and 50 years old, respectively. Other old vine grapes on the Dowie Vineyard are 1933 planted Chenin Blanc vines. 

Geology

HOLOCENE: c. 11,700 Years - PRESENT DAY

Unconsolidated sand dunes, drapes and spreads.

ELEVATION

162m

DISTANCE TO OCEAN

12.92km

Doole Vineyard - Tatachilla, McLaren Vale

The Doole Vineyard is on the ancient rocks of Tatachilla. 53 hectares of undulating and picturesque landscape, primarily planted to classic McLaren Vale varietals including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and over 1965 planted bush vine Grenache.

Geology

Rock Paddock

UMBERATANA GROUP: c. 650 MILLION YEARS

Laminated to rippled, grey to green siltstone.

All other blocks

EOCENE: c. 56 TO 34 MILLION YEARS

North Maslin and South Maslin sands: Cross-bedded medium and coarse-grained sand.

ELEVATION

55m

DISTANCE TO OCEAN

3.79km

We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Kaurna people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Liquor Licence Number: 57602594