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Heathcote, VIC
Warm climate/Elevation 130-300m
The Heathcote wine region is located in Central Victoria about 100km north of Melbourne and 50km west of the Goulburn Valley. This is classic rolling Australian countryside punctuated by eucalypts and rounded hills. The best vineyards are located on the Heathcote red snake, a strip of Cambrian-derived soils of friable red brown gravelly loams that run in a thin north-south non-continuous direction. The region is warm with strong continentality, but enjoys an even temperature range during ripening. Vineyards are elevated at about 300m and rainfall is limited. The best vineyard sites are probably yet to be discovered, although its wines – particularly Shiraz – have already captured the imagination of a whole generation of wine drinkers.
Shiraz
Jasper Hill, at Heathcote, produces a Shiraz that is concentrated and oak driven. Georgia's Paddock and Emily’s Paddock are both outstanding examples. They are complex, ripe, plummy, meaty wines with abundant fruit, ripe, but pronounced, tannins and concentration. Wild Duck Creek has also become recognised for its rich opulent Shirazes. Its curiously named, but delightfully silly, Duck Muck Shiraz drew gushing enthusiasm from the highly influential Robert Parker making this wine one of the most expensive Australian Shirazes on the secondary market. Heathcote Shiraz is still in evolution and difficult to define. There are certainly more elegantly structured styles. However, what makes Heathcote so exciting is that it can make fabulous wines already.
Andrew Caillard MW, Langton's
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