Our Site
Our site runs from the floodplains of Dixons Creek up into steep, rocky
hills — an abrupt shift in elevation that gives us north, south, east, and
west-facing blocks within the one estate.
Different varieties have been matched to the soils and orientation of each block. Chardonnay is grown on the flats, where the fertile alluvial soils and protection from the elements suit its temperament. The rockier north and west facing slopes, with their shallower soils and harder conditions, are where Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah perform best.
Across the estate that adds up to 37 individual blocks — each one distinct and kept separate through the winemaking process.
The Geology
The shallow clay and fractured mudstone on the weathered upper slopes don't make viticulture easy. These soils are over one hundred million years old. Vine vigour is naturally limited. Yields are lower. Roots push down rather than spreading wide, chasing moisture and nutrients through fractured rock rather than finding them at the surface.
That stress on the vines means smaller berries — more concentrated flavour, more structure, more mineral character. This is part of our terroir.
“The estate represents the union of two accoladed Yarra Valley cool-climate sites.”
A Legacy of Planting
Graeme Miller, a key figure in the Yarra Valley's second wave of winegrowing, planted Miller's Dixons Creek Estate in 1988. Over the fence, Henkell was also growing vines which would later become Mandala. The two properties, linked by the Dixons Creek meandering through, were united in 2025 to become e'Stellar Estate. A new brand on a vineyard with four decades of history.
Across the 100 hectare property we grow Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah,
and Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.
Seven clones of Chardonnay and five of Pinot Noir give us options in the
cellar: we can blend across parcels for wines that speak to the full estate, or bottle a single block when one particular block is worth isolating.
