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About the producer
Family-owned and run, Rudd Estate has focused on organic viticulture since it was founded by husband and wife team Leslie and Susan Rudd in 1996. The family see their role as stewards of the land whose responsibility is to fulfil their generational promise to do better than the preceding generation. It is now Leslie and Susan’s daughter Samantha who runs the estate, working alongside winemaker Frederick Ammons. She spent several years working outside of the family business learning from some of the best in the world, including Château Margaux and Spottswoode.
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Organic
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Sustainable
With his focus gravitating around the vineyard and its raw material, Frederick prefers to refer to himself as a "Winegrower rather than a Winemaker". To maintain their vineyards, which are located a stone's throw away from the sites of familiar names such as Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak and Opus One, Rudd include a dedicated agricultural team of 15 in their permanent employ, who take extraordinary pride in their work. Adopting organic practices in his time at previous wineries, Frederick has nurtured the Rudd vineyards since his first vintage with the estate in 2013. Years of experience in viticulture and vinification has taught Frederick to have "the courage to do nothing" - a modest phrasing of an approach he is ushering into his work at Rudd; there is minimal spraying in the vineyards, a move towards dry-farming and a restraint on use of oak in his wines.
Vineyard
Sheep mow under rows, their own fruit is biodynamic uncertified, organic priciples are applied in their vineyards as well as the ones from which they source fruit. Vines over weathered volcanic rock, alluvial sediments - iron rich and well drained. Up to 400 metres of elevation.
Winery
A range of vessels used for fermentation - from stainless steel, concrete eggs and old oak. Wines are aged in their underground cave using a combination of old and new oak. All French oak barrels.