The only chemical used on the vineyard is herbicide (Glyphosate) although this is being phased this out with the use of sheep and mulch.
The Bendigo fruit comes from the sandy clay loam of the original property at Kingower and the granitic sands of the nearby Zonnebeke property at Rheola. The Macedon grapes come entirely from the Daylesford vineyard. A superb cool climate site on extremely well drained volcanic soil - the Te Kauwhata Two Tier (TK2T) trellising system for vigorous sites keeps the team busy!
Working on the principle that enthusiasm triumphs over professionalism, the first vines were planted at Kingower by Sue Mackinnon, Graeme Leith, Anne and David Brown (who then wisely took up cheese making) in November 1973 by the headlights of the van in which they had driven from Melbourne after work. They laid out the wires, measured the distance between the vines, dug the holes with shovels and planted 150 vines, Cabernet, Shiraz and Riesling that Tom Lazar had left over from his last plantings at Virgin Hills, and which he had kindly donated. They then had some supper and drove the 200kms back to Melbourne. They were younger, then.
1974 saw a more structured approach but as it didn't stop raining the vines were all planted in mud in scenes reminiscent of rice paddies in the east. Of course when the rain stopped there was a drought, and the vines, 7,000 or so by then, had to be watered one at a time out of a Furphy tank. That took a while.
Sue and Graeme were convinced that things grown organically would be better for you, so when the weeds grew Graeme chipped them out with a hand chipping tool, or three; they tended to wear out on the pieces of quartz the miners had left behind.
In 1975 the rest of the vineyard having had its gum trees, box thorn, chinese scrub and tree of heaven removed, was planted to Shiraz and Cabernet to fulfill the aim of a 60% Shiraz 40% Cabernet blend. That year was assisted by the use of a ‘silly plough' designed to be pulled by a horse. It consisted of a blade attached to a pair of handles that were then attached to an idiot who would try to weave in and out between the vines, turning over the grass at its root zone. The amazing thing is that it worked tolerably well attached to the faithful Ferguson tractor, although the lack of communication between the tractor driver Sue, and the idiot Graeme, lead to occasional altercations.
And so the dream persisted, and the vines grew completely organically until it became apparent that the silly ploughing and the subsequent cleaning up of 11 kilometers of row was too much for Graeme, who at the age of 36 was ageing noticeably. So a spray unit was bought (demo model - reduced price, of course) and Round Up (glyphosate), a biodegradable herbicide, was then used to control the weeds. Elemental copper and sulphur to eliminate mildews are the only sprays used at Passing Clouds now, no pesticides or insecticides are used and the wine is as pure and untainted as it can be made.
Some of the fruit is now sourced from a local grower at the Zonnebeke property in nearby Rheola. It is grown to the Passing Clouds specifications.
Daylesford
Most of the fruit is now coming from the Daylesford vineyard. Planted in 1998 to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Lagrein, its 771m above sea level give classic cool climate wines, and superb views. They follow the same principles as always with this vineyard. Minimal chemical input and many passes over each vine per year, ensuring the fruit the goes into the winery is as good as it can get.