The Mount Benson is a small wine region located just north of Robe in South Australia’s Limestone Coast. The region is strongly influenced by the Southern Ocean and features a cool, maritime climate.
The GI region is 276 km2 in size and has a total of 541 hectares of vineyards. The main varieties grown in the region are Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc.
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Natural tannin levels are good, and the overall extract and weight are more than satisfactory. To date, Mount Benson’s Cabernet styles have won a number of trophies and gold medals.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is fine and elegant and has an excellent intensity.
Sauvignon Blanc
These crisp, grassy, herbaceous wines are very different from the far richer examples of Padthaway, reflecting the distinctly warmer climate of Mount Benson, with attractive touches of gooseberry and passionfruit.
- Strongly influenced by the Southern Ocean, the climate in Mount Benson is cool and maritime.
- Summer temperatures can be three degrees cooler than the nearby Coonawarra region, and though budburst occurs two weeks earlier, harvest is about the same time or slightly later.
- Irrigation is provided by high quality ground water, which exists in abundance in the underlying limestone.