Our Story

Kerri Greens is the adventurous and forward-thinking brain child of Mornington Peninsula couple – Lucas & Alyce Blanck, vignerons crafting single-site wines from self-managed vineyards in Balnarring and Red Hill. 

Winemaking & viticulture runs in the blood of Lucas, whose own roots are founded in Alsace at his family winery, Domaine Paul Blanck.

Alsatian purity meeting Australian ingenuity, their philosophy is a nod to both the rich family heritage and their pioneering spirits. Traditional Mornington champions Chardonnay and Pinot Noir provide the backbone of the range, with Alsatian favourites Gewurztraminer and Riesling also in the mix. 

Expression of site is key to these wines, with the aim of showcasing the quality of the fruit coming from these special sites, which range in age from roughly 20 years old to the heritage site planted in 1981 that makes the Hickson Chardonnay. 

To this end, winemaking inputs are kept to a minimum with wild yeasts and neutral oak a theme, as well as sulphur being used very sparingly, and sometimes not at all.

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Our Vineyards

The Duke

The home of our winery and cellar door, situated on Paringa Rd, Red Hill South.

Geoff and Sue Duke’s search for the perfect bit of dirt had them establish a vineyard in 1989 on Paringa Rd. On the steepest of slopes facing due North this vineyard is brilliantly positioned to capture the entirety of available sun – like a well positioned solar panel. Grown without irrigation the root system of this Pinot and Chardonnay vineyard penetrates deep into the rich volcanic soils of Red Hill. In the interest of discovery and to our great delight Geoff and Sue planted their vineyard to multiple clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Taking over the management and lease of the site in 2016 (along with our good friends from Site Wine) a few minor changes were made to bring the vineyard in line with our viticulture and winemaking goals. We now run a single arch cane in each direction allowing light and wind to penetrate the canopy. Grapes are produced using organic principles (not certified), no herbicide, no synthetics.

Now 29 years old the Duke Vineyard is consistently producing small, thick skinned berries with complex ripe flavour profiles full of natural acidity.

Aspect: Due North in the Paringa Valley, 8° slope – stupid steep

Soil: Red volcanic clay-loam, basalt parent material, iron rich

Elevation: 150m at highest point

Clones: Chardonnay I10V1 & I10V5. Pinot Noir MV6, Dijon 114, 115, G5V15 & D5V12

Obscurity: End vines planted to various natives – rather than roses – increasing biodiversity.


Silverwood

The largest of our three vineyards, Silverwood was established in 1998 to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Planted on a gentle but highly exposed north slope in Balnarring, the eastern most foothills of the Mornington Peninsula.

Situated in a localised rain shadow that sees many of the prevailing westerly rain systems from Port Phillip Bay spin off to Bass Straight. This warmer, drier part of the Peninsula is characterised by soils far poorer than its Red Hill neighbours. These conditions force the vines to work hard providing a unique intensity to the finished wines.  

Kerri Greens took over managing the Silverwood vineyard in 2016, and we quickly set to work converting all vines to our preferred arch pruning method. The vineyard is also quickly being weaned from irrigation and systemic fungicides and herbicides.

The Balnarring sub region has consistently produced high quality fruit with pronounced power for various wineries including our close friends and neighbours Quealy Wines.

Aspect: Due North 2° slope – gentle

Soil: Grey clay-loam, nutrient poor

Clones: Pinot Noir MV6, Dijon 114, 115, 777. Chardonnay I10V1 & I10V5

Obscurity: Significant beehives onsite, a natural spring quenches this dryland site


Hickson

It all started with the Hickson Vineyard. The site consists of two acres of P58 clone Chardonnay planted by the Hickson family in 1982. One of a sprinkling of vineyards preluding the rise of the Mornington Peninsula, certainly a heritage site.

The vineyard became available to Lucas and Tom in 2013 who spent the next couple of seasons regenerating the site. This included a complete change of pruning and trellis from lyre to VSP and the implementation of an organic management program (uncertified).

The Hickson site is managed without herbicide, systemic fungicides or insecticides. Organic fertiliser and annual cover crops provide nutrition and soil structure. Irrigation has not been used on this vineyard for at least 10 years.

These old vines are low yielding, constantly producing chardonnay fruit of great intensity and poise. Just one wine, our single vineyard Hickson Chardonnay, is made from this small parcel.

Aspect: South, <1°slope

Soil: Grey clay-loam, nutrient poor

Clones: Chardonnay, P58

Obscurity: Surrounded on three sides by native forest, some old Clydesdales are the off-season lawn mowers.

All our vineyard are meticulously cared for by Lucas Blanck @bsv_contracting https://blanckspecialisedviticulture.com.au/