"Challon and Patricia Murdock began the long, slow and very frustrating process of establishing their vineyard in 1996….. The vines are now mature; the pinot noir, chardonnay and shiraz cementing this year's Halliday 5-star rating"
James Halliday, Wine Companion 2021
ABOUT US
Ceres Bridge Estate is located 9 Km west of Geelong, in the Barwon river valley at the base of the Barrabool Hills. Located near the site of Victoria’s earliest vineyards, the soil is volcanic clay loam. The vineyard has a northerly aspect with north-south running rows on a gently undulating landscape. Our family began planting vines in 1996, with 2 hectares of chardonnay and subsequently pinot noir. In 2005 the vineyard was expanded to include shiraz, nebbiolo and sauvignon blanc vines., amongst others.
All pruning and picking are done by hand. The grapes produced come from vines with low irrigation levels in a relatively dry climate – much dryer than usual with the millennium drought. This has resulted in some years of no production, as we do not buy grapes in from other vineyards. The terroir, climate and artisan style of winemaking results in the production of wines with intense varietal flavors, which has been a characteristic of Ceres Bridge Estate wine.
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Since 2016, the wine has been made off site, several kilometers away at the old papermill site at Fyansford. With different winemakers comes a different wine style and “Papermill” has been added to our traditional label to identify these wines.