Crittenden Estate Winery

Crittenden Estate is evolving and expanding and with that has come the need to develop and consolidate our wine making. Hence our taking over the lease on a modern winery in Patterson Lakes, approximately 20 minutes north of our property in Dromana. Built seven years ago, Rollo and Garry still cannot believe that the opportunity to take over this custom designed winery came up when it did.

Drawing from over 35 years of combined winemaking experience, Garry and Rollo have purchased several pieces additional equipment to compliment that already held at the winery. Rollo’s desire to continually improve and evolve will see the use of gentle Conveyor Belts instead of abrasive Augers and Must Pumps in an effort to better handle the delicate tannin structure of Pinot Noir. Additionally, the facility’s large cool-room is perfect for retaining aromatics in Chardonnay ferments, while the ability to divide the barrel store into three separate sections will ensure ideal maturation conditions can be maintained year round.

While keeping in touch with advances in equipment is important, as Garry frequently suggests, some winemaking traditions should always remain. Hence all red wine ferments will still be plunged by hand (and in many instances by foot) as has been done in the great houses of Burgundy for hundreds of years. It is hopefully this perfect combination of a modern and well equipped winery, with a firm understanding of the age old art of winemaking, that will undoubtedly see continued improvement for all of our wines.

To learn more about Crittenden Estate visit our history , our team or our about us pages.