The Ellis family’s vineyards are in the Mount Gambier GI, located to the south west of Mount Gambier in the Kongorong area. The close proximity to the Southern Ocean provides the coolest maritime climate in mainland Australia with a similar heat summation as Marlborough NZ. The maritime climate allows for an extended ripening period which is ideal for the accumulation of flavour and optimum ripening. The vineyards are planted in fractured flinty limestone, which forms much of the surface cover in this relatively flat but undulating area lying a few meters above sea level. Underlying the limestone is a ribbon of shallow but fertile soil that allows the vines to develop in this challenging soil profile. The surface limestone is very flinty and this contributes to the mineral elements and hint of gun smoke character in the wine. The vineyard is cane pruned and cropped at 6 tonnes per hectare in 2023. The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc spent 36 hours on skins before being basket pressed to tanks, it was then cold settled, racked and fermented in tank. 10% of the blend was fermented on skins for 2 weeks. The wine was kept on lees, until just prior to bottling.