In 2009, Garry Gosatti and family jumped at the opportunity to acquire a small project vineyard south of Margaret River. Previously spending 10+ years at the original Arlewood in Wilyabrup which was established in 1984. Fast forward to 2020, the Gosatti's spend their days refining the 6 hectare Forest Grove vineyard.
Most recently planting 6 rows of Nebbiolo (a nod to his northern Italian heritage) and grafting 19 rows of Gin Gin Chardonnay. The farm is also home to a small flock of Wiltshire sheep, some rowdy geese, a couple of horses and 200 wild olive trees.
The family vineyard is driven by their Italian heritage where their great grandfather was capo of the cooperativa winery in his home town in Valtellina, in the far north of Italy. Today, Garry's two sons Jordan and Adrian run the vineyard with much of the work done by their own hands, tending the vines to control vigour and crop load for grapes of intense flavour.
A flock of Wiltshire sheep are used in the vineyard for grass and weed control and removing the natural habitat of many pests. They are also used for leaf removal and canopy exposure. This means less herbicide, less pesticide, less tractor miles. The ever-increasing gaggle of geese are being trained to walk the vine rows feeding on snails, weevils, and other vine pests.
The winemaking approach is similar. Hand picked, gentle pressing, minimal filtration.
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