Hartley Estate – What Makes Our Wine So Special There are a great many influences to a vineyards potential for high quality fruit production. Interaction of the various influences is a complex management challenge at Hartley Estate. It is not uncommon for neighbouring vine blocks to produce remarkably different characteristics in the wine produced. ‘Terroir’ is a French term used to explain this concept. Terroir is defined most simply as the natural attributes of a vineyard or group of vineyards. The natural environment includes, but is not limited to climate and local climate (mesoclimate), topography (elevation above sea level), slope, aspect, surface water proximity, geology, soil properties, fauna and microfauna and the surrounding vegetation. These elements and many others encompass the influences that affect the characteristics of the wine produced from a given block of vines. The quality of wine produced at Hartley Estate is additionally influenced by our cultural practices. Pruning & cropping levels, trellising, fertiliser regimes (whether natural or artificial), irrigation schedules, disease & pest control, management of foliage such as shoot thinning, arranging canes and leaf plucking along with fruit exposure choices all contribute to the distinctiveness of every Hartley Estate wine. The combined conditions & vineyard management practices at Hartley Estate consistently produce grapes with a deep, intense flavour that’s readily recognisable. Below are some details that contribute to the specific terroir of Hartley Estate. Willy Wagtail - Our Ambassador: After the initial stages of development, the challenge was to find a label by which to recognise Hartley Estate wine. The Willy Wagtail was chosen because of it’s relevance in the naming of the region. ‘Chittering’ was derived from the Aboriginal term ‘Chitta-Chitta’ which means “the place of the Willy Wagtails”. The spritely birds are found in abundance throughout the region and are often witnessed enjoying themselves amongst the vines at Hartley Estate and so it was chosen as our fitting representative.

Hartley Estate Pty Ltd is the licensee of Wholesalers license number 6160129206.
Licensed premises: Suite 5, 12-14 Thelma Street West Perth WA 6005. Phone +61 8 9481 4288