HISTORY
The Ada River planting at Heathcote was established in 1998 in conjunction with a local grape grower. The planting includes Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and, more recently, Merlot. The first vintages were made at our Gippsland winery but in 2003 a winery was constructed at Heathcote. We make the Ada River wines from fruit sourced from our block and a range of wines for the growers own label.
GRAPEGROWING
The vineyard is on an east facing slope on Cambrian soil on the Mt Camel range. A limited amount of drip irrigation is required to maintain the vines in peak condition over the warm dry summer. Mechanical harvesting and pre-pruning are standard in this area. Grape yields are kept to below 3 tonnes per acre to maximise fruit quality.
WINEMAKING
The quality of Heathcote wines are established in the vineyard so winemaking is kept as simple as possible. The grapes are crushed and fermented in small tanks before pressing in an airbag press. They are then matured for 12 to 18 months in a mix of new and older oak barrels
THE WINES
The Ada River Heathcote wines have gained immediate recognition with the following ratings by James Halliday:
2000 Heathcote Shiraz 4.5 stars out of 5 (Wine Companion 2003)
2001 Heathcote Shiraz 5 (Wine Companion 2004)
2002 Heathcote Shiraz 4.5 (Wine Companion 2005)
2002 Heathcote Cab Sauv 4.5
2003 Heathcote Reserve Shiraz 5 (Wine Companion 2006)
2003 Heathcote Cab Sauv 4.5
The first Heathcote Merlot was released from the 2004 vintage.