Buxton Ridge

The story of Buxton Ridge is long and complicated, with sorrow and hardship, but also extraordinary tenacity. In 1996 Lorna and IT consultant husband Wolf-Ruediger Gelbert purchased a 2ha property. The first shiraz was planted in Nov '96; Wolf retired in Oct '97, and in November that year planted small quantities of sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, merlot and more shiraz. Every weekend was spent with the endless tasks of a young vineyard. Wolf died unexpectedly from a heart attack in July '98, leaving an embryonic vineyard and a building site where their dream house had only advanced to the stage of a leaky cellar. Their youngest son Michael wanted to continue, and with input from friends and experts, the business progressed, with small blocks either side of the original vineyard purchased and more vines planted. Oscar Rosa and Nick Arena from Mount Cathedral Wines took Michael under their wing, and he has made all the red wines since 2005, with Marysville an important local market. Then came the '09 bushfires, the destruction of that year's vintage by smoke, and the loss of the '11 vintage thanks to the cold and wet spring and summer. -JAMES HALLIDAY