Great wine requires the combination of great soils, the right clones of each variety and the tender loving care and artisan skill of people.
The importance of the relationship between viticulturist and winemaker cannot be understated and at Willow Creek, we see something special in the partnership between Geraldine McFaul (our winemaker) and Robbie O'Leary (our viticulturist). Robbie has been our viticulturist for almost 20 vintages and knows our vines like no one else.
Robbie O’Leary Biography
For years Robbie O’Leary was more comfortable on a building site than in a vineyard. He didn’t know a great deal about wine and even less about viticulture – he was more a beer bloke than a wine buff. But in the early 1990s, when his boss at the construction site asked him to manage his vineyard in Merricks North, Robbie accepted the challenge with gusto and embarked on a steep learning curve.
Seventeen vintages into his role as viticulturist at Willow Creek Vineyard, Robbie’s genuine love of vineyard life and his almost fatherly relationship with his vines is obvious. He’s onsite everyday, sometimes 18 hours a day, seven days a week during vintage, to coax his vines through the tough times and the great. And there’s been a mixture of both at Willow Creek Vineyard in the past 17 years.
When he first started at Willow Creek Vineyard, Robbie had 12 hectares of vines to convert from a trellising system to hanging cane. Not an easy job, and with only one slasher, one sprayer and a tractor to do it with, Robbie had his work cut out for him.
“Hard work never hurt anyone,” says Robbie. And his hard work has paid off. Robbie is now an expert on Mornington Peninsula terroir, albeit a modest one, and considers himself lucky to be at the helm of one of the region’s most unique sites.
As far as Robbie is concerned, “there is no place quite like it”. He still marvels at the site’s range of soil – from loamy, sandy soils in the south to rich red soils further north – and Willow Creek Vineyard’s special microclimate. Positioned in a small pocket on the Peninsula’s warmer side, the vineyard is protected from the elements and, according to Robbie, it’s only when “someone turns the fans on” in Tassie that the rain or fog sets in.
But it’s not just the site that Robbie is so fond of – it’s also his team. Robbie believes that respect for your workmates is the key to maintaining harmony, and there is no shortage of respect between Robbie, winemaker Geraldine and fellow vineyard worker Kevin. He welcomes Kev’s patience in the vineyard, which balances out his tendency to work at 100 miles an hour.
As for Geraldine, the two struck a strong friendship from the outset. Since her appointment in October 2008, Geraldine and Robbie have walked a well-worn path through the 12 hectares of vines, assessing the vigour of each vine and tasting each plot for ripeness and flavour profile.
The two work toward a common goal for Willow Creek Vineyard – to create wines that are a true reflection of the site’s special terroir. With Geraldine’s expertise in cool-climate winemaking coupled with Robbie’s intimate knowledge of the site, they are well on their way to achieving this goal.
Spending almost two decades on the vines has made Robbie a great storyteller and a generous teacher, but there’s no sign of him slowing down. Some think he’s approaching the golden age of retirement, but to that he says “I’m happy where I am. If I get tired, I’ll just have to take more holidays, play more golf and learn to delegate.” But as the proud father of Willow Creek Vineyard’s vines, Robbie’s golfing days may be a long way off.
