Neil Paulette graduated from the Roseworthy Oenology course in 1971 and began working as a winemaker for Penfolds Wines in Sydney and then Rosemount in the Hunter Valley. With 10 years wine making experience behind him, Neil and wife Alison began their search for the place to establish their own family vineyard. After discovering the Clare Valley in 1981, they set about protracted negotiations to purchase what is now their property. The property had remained in the same family's hands from the 1860's until its purchase in 1983 and has a long history of vineyard production with vines being present for well over 100 years.