Story
Clo is a small, independent winery founded in 2013. My path to wine began in the storeroom of Annandale Cellars but it soon pivoted into the vineyard, guided by the belief that great wine is grown rather than made. Farming with care and working thoughtfully in the cellar, I aim to craft wines that are honest reflections of place and season.
Formative years spent in France deeply influenced the way I approach both viticulture and winemaking. With Jean Foillard in Beaujolais, I learned the value of purity, precision, and a light hand — letting fruit and site speak without distraction. Time with François Rousset-Martin in the Jura instilled a respect for patience, texture, and the detail that comes from attentive élevage. These experiences continue to shape the way I think about my own wines, grounding Clo in tradition while allowing space for individuality.
Today, Clo is built around small parcels, spontaneous fermentations, minimal intervention, and allowing biology to work its magic. Each wine is released in limited quantities, with the goal of capturing energy and drinkability alongside depth and nuance. For me, wine is at its best when it feels alive — a reflection of both nature and the people who gather around it.
Viticulture
Grow good grapes.
Good farming is about growing nutrient-rich, healthy produce. Healthy soils, grow good grapes, and good grapes make good wine. It's only by working with nature that we can achieve this.
I feel responsible for the land I farm. Adhering to my own system of beliefs, created from experience and adapted to the unique site. The goal is to maintain a natural ecosystem while maximising the quality of the grapes in any given season.
In the case of Clo, there is no use of herbicides or insecticides in the Sunnyside vineyard. Copper and sulfur (organic substances) are sprayed to protect the vines from mildew. Organic mulch and vermicast (worm wee) is delivered onto the soil to improve its health, and cover crops are sown for the winter months to restore nutrition and build life in the soil.
Winemaking
Make good wine.
I’m a one-man band in the winery. I have the help of some friends who grow grapes, but when it comes to the winemaking it’s a solo gig.
Each clo wishes to capture the season, the place and the time. In the cellar the wines are given time to develop, manually and patiently allowing biology to run its course while fastidiously managing that which can be controlled.
All clo’s are produced naturally. Fermentation is wild, old oak barriques and foudre are used, elevages are lengthy, and the wines are bottled unfined, unfiltered and without sulfur under cork. I hope to produce wines that are pure, delicious and full of personality, while maintaining stability and typicity.
Only 7000 bottles produced annually.