Fighting Gully Road

Mark Walpole and his partner Carolyn De Poi found their elevated north-facing site south of Beechworth in ’95. They commenced planting the Aquila Audax vineyard in ’97 with cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir, expanding with sangiovese, tempranillo, shiraz, petit manseng and chardonnay. In ’09, they were fortunate to lease the oldest vineyard in the region, planted by the Smith family in ’78 to chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. Mark was awarded the Halliday Wine Companion 2024 Viticulturist of the Year. The sangiovese at this address is considered the Australian benchmark for the variety. -JAMES HALLIDAY