Alexia Roberts has spent decades dedicating her time and career to the wine industry.
After living, breathing and crafting wines in McLaren Vale for others she finally branched out on her own, making her dream of having her own wine label, a reality.
Perched on top of a property in Blewitt Springs, Alexia, along with her husband Damon and their two children began what is now known as Larnook Wines.
Across the vineyard are century-old bush-vine Grenache, planted in 1922, alongside Shiraz dating back to 1999, with the vines surrounded by pockets of native Australian scrub.
“Our ethos is to produce small-batch wines that reflect what we think is the heart and soul of McLaren Vale,” Lexi said.
“We’re making quite modern, contemporary styles.”
Rather than feeling like a vineyard carved out from its surroundings, the property still feels closely connected to the landscape around it.
Native shrubbery borders the vines, providing habitat for local flora and wildlife, while Alexia and Damon have taken a low-intervention approach to managing the vineyard, reducing tractor passes and sprays, using minimal irrigation and encouraging biodiversity.
Just four years after launching the wine label, the duo are now bringing the Vale its newest cellar door experience.
“We’ve had it architecturally designed, and the brief was to create a space that felt natural, earthy, grounded and connected, which is pretty much the ethos of our brand,” Lexi said.
With sweeping views overlooking their vineyard and the sandy dunes of Blewitt Springs it’s the perfect spot to settle in, find a glass and watch the hours tick by.
“Larnook sources its wines from the Blewitt Springs subregion.
“(Guests will) be able to taste wine from vines that are growing right in front of them, so they’ll be able to really feel connected to what’s happening and the styles of wine we’re producing as well.”
Larnook Cellar door under construction.
The cellar door isn’t being restored or adapted from an existing building. Instead, the husband-and-wife duo are creating the purpose-built space from the ground up, giving them the chance to make every detail feel like Larnook.
Lexi described it as modern but grounded, with natural stone, earthy textures and a premium feel carried throughout the venue.
“It will be an owner-led experience where people can really come and connect with not only our brand, but also us and who we are and our story.
“We’ll be very much focusing on that authentic experience, where people can come and really get to know what’s driven us and how we’ve gotten to where we are today.”
Damon, whose background is in wine marketing, will be running the cellar door, while Lexi brings more than 22 years of winemaking experience in McLaren Vale to the label.
For Lexi, that time spent working across the region has built the foundation for the wines she is now making under her own name.
With construction aiming to be complete by October, the Larnook Wines cellar door is positioning itself as a new hotspot just as the days get longer, the temperature rises and a glass of wine is the answer.
Larnook Wines cellar door
When: coming this October
Where: 7 Settlement Rd, McLaren Flat
For updates, click here.
