Against the backdrop of Richmond Tier lies the small vineyard estate and landmark winery of Domaine A. First established in 1973, Stoney Vineyard is the oldest in Tasmania's Coal River Valley. Swiss couple and former IBM executive Peter and Ruth Althaus purchased and expanded the vineyard in 1990 after an extensive worldwide search for ideal cool climate terroir. The Althaus ambition in Australia (hence the name Domaine A) was to make elegant wines of definition, character and difference. The vineyard is planted on alluvial sandy loams over black cracking clays and hard Jurassic dolorite, ancient protrusions of solidified magma. The well-drained 20 hectare northwest-facing Stoney Vineyard, anchored in an ancient petrified forest of doloritic bedrock, wraps along the haunches of the ‘Richmond Tier’ taking full advantage of the early morning to evening sunshine. The overall winemaking philosophy is as uncompromising as it is simple: “Let the fruit talk”. Ripeness is achieved most years in this marginal climate because of abundant sunshine and prevailing warm, dry, northern winds during the growing season.