For several years, Nebbiolo has been a quiet but powerful passion at Altair Estate. Known for its haunting aromatics, pale colour, firm tannins and remarkable ageing ability, Nebbiolo is a grape that demands patience, precision and deep respect for terroir. Our first plantings showed us just how beautifully this noble Italian grape can translate the character of Wilyabrup’s soils and maritime climate. Now, with the extension of our Nebbiolo holdings, we are investing confidently in its future on our property.
To facilitate this growth, we undertook a grafting program using wood sourced directly from our existing Nebbiolo vines. At Altair Estate, this involved selecting healthy rootstock already thriving in our soils, then carefully attaching cuttings of our own Nebbiolo material to these established vines. This technique allows us to accelerate Nebbiolo production using plants already acclimatised to our vineyard environment, while preserving the genetic identity and quality of our estate-grown material.
While grafting is a fascinating and highly skilled process, the focus for us has always been the wine it enables. Expanding our Nebbiolo plantings is part of a broader strategy to champion premium Italian varietals at Altair Estate. Alongside our Sangiovese, Vermentino and the increasingly popular Fragolino, Nebbiolo plays a key role in expressing the diversity of Mediterranean grapes that flourish in Margaret River’s climate.
The decision to graft rather than replant reflects our desire to bring new Nebbiolo fruit into production as efficiently as possible, while maintaining the high-quality standards that define our estate. As these newly grafted vines come into balance over the next few seasons, we look forward to crafting Nebbiolo that is even more nuanced, structured and expressive of our coastal terroir.
Italian varietals continue to gain momentum across Australia and Altair Estate is proud to be at the forefront of this movement in Margaret River. With the expansion of our Nebbiolo block, we are not only growing more vines; we are growing our identity, our capability and our long-term vision for the estate.
We can’t wait to share the results with you in the glass.