Clara Hale
Winemaker
Our story
Three generations, a chalk hill and a stubborn belief that good things take the time they take.
Where it began
A hunch about chalk
In 1987 Anna Hale noticed the same white chalk on Harrow Hill that she'd seen in the vineyards of her childhood. Joseph thought she was mad. They planted anyway.
Thirty-seven harvests later, the south slope still carries some of those first vines. The farm has grown a cellar, a taproom, a still house and a wine bar in town, but the rule hasn't changed: we only bottle what the hill gives us, and we don't rush it.
Meet the winesMilestones
The long road up the hill
- 1987
First vines
Anna and Joseph Hale plant two hectares of Pinot Noir on the south slope.
- 1994
The cellar
A chalk cellar is dug by hand beneath the old barn. The club starts with 40 friends.
- 2009
Organic
The estate is certified organic and sheep return to the rows every winter.
- 2014
The still
A small copper pot still arrives, and the first spirit runs into Cask No. 1.
- 2016
The brewhouse
Grandson Theo turns the old tractor shed into a three-barrel brewery and taproom.
- 2023
Cooper Street
The wine bar and bottle shop opens in town, pouring forty wines by the glass.
Vintage notes
Nine harvests
Weather writes the first draft of every wine. Slide through the years to read ours.
2019Cool & classic
Our score95/ 100
A cool summer and a golden October. Lower alcohol, higher acidity, and the Long Row Cabernet finally found its structure.
Harvest began2 Oct
- Rainfall640 mm
- Sunshine1710 h
- Yield6 t/ha
The people
Who makes it
Theo Hale
Head brewer
Mateo Ruiz
Distiller
Ines Laurent
Cellar door & club
Values
How we farm & make
Farm for the next generation
Organic, dry-farmed and grazed. We plant cover crops and leave hedgerows wild.
Make less, better
Low yields, wild ferments and old oak. Nothing added that we can't explain.
Keep the door open
A long table, fair prices and a warm welcome, whether you buy a glass or a case.
Est. 1987
Come and meet the family.
Someone from the Hale family pours at the tasting bar every weekend.
