Regional Series Tasting: Heathcote
The magic of Heathcote lies in the remarkable strip of soil starting 20 Kilometres southeast of the town of Heathcote, continuing until just south of the town, then immediately turning north and running along the Mount Ida Range, and thereafter the Mount Carmel Range, for a distance of over 60 Kilometres. Viewed from the air, the red soil country is a spectacular scene: square or oblong patterns of vivid red alternate with verdant green rows of vines. The prized soil is decomposed Cambrian-era igneous intrusion rock known as Greenstone, created 500 million years ago and forming the once higher spine of the Mount Carmel Range. Progressive weathering caused the spine to move down the side of the range, covering sedimentary layers which now form the subsoil. It has the all important combination of being well drained while keeping good moisture retention capacity. JAMES HALLIDAY
Soil type announces itself in Heathcote like nowhere else. The region lies on
a geographical fault and tumultuous activity over 100s of millions of years has
exposed, amongst other things, ancient Cambrian rock estimated at 500 million
years old intermixed with diverse range of soils.
It's no doubt
that shiraz has reigned supreme in this part of the world for some time with
some of the best examples in the country being made here. More recently
Mediterranean like sangiovese varietals are finding a very welcome home and are
producing some really exciting wines. The latest addition, and an exciting one
at that is the arrival of grenache with some surprising excellent versions
heralding another shift in the varietal landscape of the region.
Whatever the varietal make-up Heathcote always seems to put its stamp on any
wine with luscious fruit underpinned by firm but fine tannins and a denseness
and gravitas to the wines that remain buoyant and remarkably
fresh.
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Greenstone Heathcote Gusto Rose 2021These days, it’s getting quite hard for me to read white font on peach coloured background. I don’t wear glasses mind you, so that may be the problem.
Tangy, dry sort of style, into tangerine, grapefruit, white cherry and maybe some aniseed floating about. A little spice too. It has crunch, and a gently savoury finish of solid length. Goes all right. GARY WALSH, The Wine Front
2009sangioveseAustralia404$25.00 -
Heathcote Estate Nebbiolo 2021Convincing nebbiolo. Tannic as all get-up, in a good way. Undergrowth and cherries, pomegranate and tobacco, decayed roses and mint. It starts off slow but builds towards an impressive finish, and responds very well to air. Most impressive. CAMPBELL MATTINSON, The Wine Front
The Nebbiolo block is off a new section of vineyard established in 2017, and has been organic from the ground up. Picked in mid-April, it was harvested 7 weeks after the shiraz. The fruit was hand picked, hand sorted de-stemmed. Whole berries were transferred to oak fermenation vats for natural fermantation. Once fermentation was complete, the wines were transferred to older french oak 500L barrels for maturation. The wine was left undisturbed until bottling in late February 2022.2021NebbioloAustralia404$57.00 As low as $51.30 -
Chalmers Aglianico 2019Destemmed, wild fermented, left 30 days on skins, pressed to chestnut botte. The classic southern Italian red grape is incredibly well suited to the climate and soils of Heathcote. Each vintage re-affirms that. A complex, fleshy expression of the grape is wrapped in black cherry, white pepper, allspice, dark chocolate, licorice and a gentle savouriness. A lovely depth of flavour with hints of almond nuttiness is just developing on the palate. It's going to age into a beauty. JENI PORT, James Halliday2016AglianicoAustralia438$41.00 As low as $36.90