The winery gets its name from a nearby Cape that was given that title by the French "Baudin Expedition," which mapped Western Australia's coast in 1801. The Cape was given the names of two prominent French scientists who resided in Paris in the early 1700s: geographer Edmund with his brother Francois-Simon Mentelle. In 1970, David Hohnen, a pioneer in the wine business, and his brothers Mark and Giles founded Cape Mentelle Vineyards. Merely 16 hectares of grapes were cultivated on what today is known as the "Wallcliffe Vineyard" when their incredible Cape Mentelle journey began. Red wines were initially the main focus, including a brazen Shiraz. The establishment of Cape Mentelle's sister winery, known as Cloudy Bay, by David Hohnen in 1985 marked a turning point for the development of white wines.
The renowned Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon is proof positive that the fundamental viticultural concepts of soil, place, and varieties have produced consistency and quality beyond all expectations. Inside the Wallcliffe Vineyard, picking and pruning are done by hand in order to guarantee the continuous production of these delicate wines that have come to be associated with Cape Mentelle. Wallcliffe has vines of the following varieties: Semillon, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, and shiraz. As the vineyard has grown, these grapes have served as the foundation for new blocks. The location benefits from abundant water and traditional deep gravelly soils. It is shielded by nearby vegetation and warmed by a gentle southwest wind.
A team-wide admiration of the land and a strong dedication to sustainability guides every choice and action at Cape Mentelle. This dedication manifests itself in several ways. Since 2020, no herbicides are allowed to be used in vines. Additionally, they depend on compost to replace the nutrients in their soil. Apart from that, they have solar panels installed to cut down on their energy usage, which supplies a minimum of 8% of their power needs. Cape Mentelle also participates in the Australian Packaging Covenant (APCO), which establishes an annual work plan to guarantee that its packaging keeps getting better from a sustainable perspective.
https://www.capementelle.com.au
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