Blackets Lenswood Vineyard is situated in one of the most beautiful parts of the Mount Lofty ranges about 35 km east of Adelaide. Running from a ridge along Croft Road at Lenswood, it drops down to a small valley. It is surrounded by Mount Crawford Forest to the north and apple and cherry orchards and adjoining vineyards to the south and east.
Planted on an old apple orchard, the first plantings commenced in 1982 by one of Australia’s finest winemakers, Tim Knappstein, with the object of producing super-premium cool climate varieties including pinot noir, sauvignon blanc, gewürztraminer, chardonnay and semillon.
By South Australian standards Lenswood has high rainfall (about 1 metre per year) falling mostly in the cooler months. The elevation provides for cool summer and autumnal nights and warm to hot days. The vineyard layout below shows the plantings.
Set on 100 acres of land, the vineyard comprises approximately 60 acres of planted vines. The vineyard has a remnant of native forest of about three and a half acres adjoining the bottom dam. It is a haven for wildlife: birds, kangaroos, emus, hares and foxes. Its plentiful water supply encourages all manner of bird life. Yabbies abound in the dams. The vineyard even has its resident tortoise in his own pond.
Due to the sensitivity of the environment, it is not feasible to operate a winery at the vineyard and grapes are crushed at contract facilities at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills.
Lenswood can be extremely cold in winter and does experience very occasional snow. Lenswood Vineyard has been fortunate to have the same vineyard manager for over twenty years. All the vines are hand-pruned and the grapes are hand-picked. Leaf plucking is undertaken prior to harvest and bunch thinning (especially of the pinot) to maximize fruit quality.
Wines produced from Blackets Lenswood Vineyard have consistently won awards and have been highly rated by some of Australia’s leading wine writers including Huon Hooke and James Halliday.
Due to the variability of weather in the Adelaide Hills, especially during spring and early summer, the vineyard’s crop can vary quite markedly from vintage to vintage. To ensure the availability of your choice of wine, it is suggested that you guarantee your allocation by completing the order form. (32K .pdf)
By becoming a Blackets client, you will have first choice of our latest releases. If you wish we can place you on our email list (add your details on the home page) and we will keep you regularly advised of vintage releases, special deals for members and opportunities to lock in and guarantee your supply.
