John & Deirdre had looked at dozens of properties over the previous decade, and none had appealed until Montvalley was seen.

Prior to finalizing the deal, the soil was tested for growing grapes, since John Colvin had had a dream of building a vineyard for many years. Jay Tulloch looked at the land and felt that it would be capable of generating high quality grapes over the medium term. A good deal of scientific testing followed, which confirmed this view.

The name Montvalley is a derived name, and reflects the fact that the vineyard is nestled in a beautiful valley in the midst of the Brokenback Ranges. The name Colvin, which originates from France, also means valley (col) of the vines (vin). So the name Montvalley reflects the area and the origins of the owners.

The first year at Montvalley was spent clearing the property of internal fences, cutting up for firewood dozens of trees that had died over the years, and cutting the natural kikuyu grass that had become very long.

The vision for the vineyard is to “make the best possible wine given Montvalley soils and climate”. Consistent with this vision, everything has been built from scratch with this high quality objective in mind. This has meant investing in the latest technology, investing heavily in drainage systems, and employing leading viticulture experts.

Over a period of three years, nearly 14 acres of vines have been planted:

• 2.2 acres of Semillon were planted in November 1998, and produced the first crop of Semillon suitable for bottling in February 2002. The 2003 vintage won a bronze medal.
  
• 3.2 acres of Shiraz were planted a year later in November 1999, and produced the first crop of Shiraz suitable for bottling in March 2003. The first Montvalley reds will be bottled in June 2004.
  
• 3.9 acres of Shiraz and 4.2 acres of Chardonnay were planted in November 2001. The first commercial crops will be available in March 2005.
  

It is expected that the vineyard will reach its expected yields in 2007, which will produce about 35 tonnes of grapes