Regolith Series

Introducing the Regolith Series — Three Grenaches, Three Soils, One Clare Valley | Crabtree Wines
Harvesting the 1932 Grenache vines at Glen Kelly vineyard Clare Valley at dawn

New release · 2026

Introducing the
Regolith Series.

Three Grenaches. Three vineyard sites. Three ancient soils. One story about what Clare Valley is truly capable of when you go looking beneath the surface.

Regolith Series

Limestone

Crabtree Regolith Series Limestone Grenache — Bryksy Hill Watervale Clare Valley

Bryksy Hill Vineyard · Watervale
Terra Rossa over Limestone

Regolith Series

Ironstone

Crabtree Regolith Series Ironstone Grenache — Glen Kelly Springfarm Road Clare Valley oldest vines 1932

Glen Kelly Vineyard · Springfarm Road
Rich Red Soil over Ironstone · Planted 1932

Regolith Series

Quartzite

Crabtree Regolith Series Quartzite Grenache — Estate vineyard Watervale Clare Valley

Crabtree Estate Vineyard · Watervale
Bay of Biscay Soil over Quartzite

The concept

What is Regolith?

The word Regolith refers to the layer of loose, fragmented rock and soil material that sits above the solid bedrock — the ancient geological foundation beneath our feet. It is, in essence, the bridge between the deep earth and the surface world. In winemaking, it is this layer — and what lies beneath it — that defines the character of the wine above it.

This series was born from a simple but obsessive question: what happens to Grenache when it draws from three completely different ancient soils? The variety is the same across all three wines. The winemaker is the same. The vintage conditions are the same. What changes is the earth. And what the earth gives each wine is profound.

Clare Valley's ancient geology makes it one of the most geologically varied wine regions in Australia. Limestone plateaus, ironstone ridges, and quartzite creek beds — all within a few kilometres of each other, all producing wines of completely distinct character. The Regolith Series is our attempt to let that geology speak without interference.

Harvesting Grenache at Regolith series vineyard sites Clare Valley
Limestone
One of the highest
single vineyard sites
in Watervale
Terra
Rossa
over Limestone
Regolith

Limestone Grenache

Bryksy Hill Vineyard · Watervale

Bryksy Hill is a site that earns its reputation through position. One of the highest single vineyard sites in Watervale, the vineyard runs east to west — a rare orientation that provides critical protection from the afternoon sun in difficult, hot vintages. Where other vineyards struggle, Bryksy Hill holds its composure.

The ancient Terra Rossa over Limestone gives the fruit a brightness and freshness that higher-altitude sites do best — but it's the chalky limestone beneath that leaves its mark in the glass.

The result is a Grenache of genuine elegance. Bright red fruit, floral lift, and that distinctive chalky tannin structure that only limestone-derived soils can produce. This is not a fruit-forward crowd-pleaser — this is a wine of texture, detail and restraint. It rewards attention.

Ironstone
1932
Oldest Grenache
vines in Clare Valley
94yr
Old vine complexity
and concentration

Ironstone Grenache

Glen Kelly Vineyard · Springfarm Road · Clare Valley

1932 planted Grenache bush vines at Glen Kelly vineyard Springfarm Road Clare Valley — oldest Grenache vines in Clare Valley

Some vineyards have history. Glen Kelly's Springfarm Road site has the oldest Grenache vines in Clare Valley — planted in 1932. These are bush vines of extraordinary age, grace and concentration, the kind that have survived drought and flood and decade after decade of Clare Valley seasons with a quiet, stoic dignity.

We have been fortunate to secure this vineyard, and we do not take that lightly. Every time Andrew walks these rows, he is walking through 94 years of accumulated history. That weight of time is in the wine.

The rich red soil over ironstone drives a wine of depth, savouriness and structure. Darker fruit than the Limestone, with an earthy mineral backbone that only ancient vines can produce. This is the wine of the three that will age most gracefully — complex, layered, and completely unforgettable.

The east-west orientation of these beautiful old bush vines ensures even ripening across an impressive site. When you hold a glass of the Ironstone, you are drinking from one of Clare Valley's most historically significant pieces of ground.

Quartzite
🏡
Crabtree Estate
Watervale
Creek
Bed
Ancient geology
Bay of Biscay soil
over Quartzite

Quartzite Grenache

Crabtree Estate Vineyard · Watervale

Beneath the Crabtree estate runs the ghost of an ancient creek — a watercourse that carried water through this valley when Clare was first being settled. That creek is long gone. What it left behind is something extraordinary: dark Bay of Biscay soil over a quartzite regolith that gives this parcel of the estate a character unlike anything else we grow.

The quartzite beneath drives a wine of great softness and delicacy — the most introspective of the three Grenaches. Where the Limestone is bright and the Ironstone is deep, the Quartzite is precise.

The softest and most delicate of the three expressions, this wine has a purity and transparency to its fruit that is deeply compelling. Fine-boned, mineral and long — this is a Grenache for those who want to think. It is a wine of remarkable subtlety, and a reminder that our own estate holds geology we are still learning to understand.

Andrew Kenny winemaker Crabtree Watervale Wines Clare Valley
"Grenache is one of the most site-sensitive varieties in the world — more than almost any other red grape, it picks up the character of the soil and carries it directly into the glass. These three sites gave us three completely different wines made with exactly the same hand. That's not winemaking. That's geology." — Andrew Kenny · Winemaker, Crabtree Watervale Wines
Jason Cane co-owner Crabtree Watervale Wines in the winery during Regolith Series vintage 2026

From the co-owner

"The Regolith Series is the project I'm most excited about in everything we've done at Crabtree. Three sites, three soils, one variety — and the wines are extraordinary."

Jason Cane · Co-owner, Crabtree Watervale Wines

The Regolith Series is available now.

Three wines. Three sites. Three ancient soils. Available individually or as a complete set. Wine club members receive first access and member pricing — join before they sell out.