A Punter's adventures in Heathcote

[winepunter]

G'day everyone

I meant to write this ages ago but unfortunately life has a way of intervening and stopping you from doing the fun stuff from time to time. I also wanted to thank those of you who suggested wineries/vineyards to visit. The ones I got to all turned out to be fantastic so thanks a lot. If your suggestion isn't listed below it's because: it wasn't open, the owners didn't return our appointment call or it was supposed to be open and just wasn't because .....

The full write up is on the winepunters site ( http://www.winepunters.com/heathcote.html ) but here is the short version.

Heathcote Winery
They produce a nice blended white. I tried the 08 Cravens Place MCV (Marsanne, Chardonnay, Viognier) which is a nice solid white for only $15 a bottle! What interested me the most however was the shiraz. This was my first introduction to Heathcote shiraz and what I tried here really set the tone for the rest of the trip.

All of the shiraz range was good but the standouts for me were the 07 Curagee Shiraz (big nose, big mouth and long finish!) and the 08 Slaughter House Paddock shiraz which was a very smooth drop with a minty nose and a sharp tanin finish.

I also got the opportunity to meet Rachael the winemaker and try a barrel sample of a viognier/ shiraz blend which is part of the soon to be released 09 vintage. It was a bit like a bright fruity sangiovese.

Redesdale Estate
I tried their 04 cab sav (full nose, smoky tannins on the finish) and 04 shiraz (lovely full taste). Lovely house and you can stay on the property something I am planning to experience one day.

Barnadown Run
Andrew Millis who took us through his range. I really liked the 08 rose (savoury, tight finish - a very serious rose). The other standout was the 06 Jean's Block Shiraz. "The fruit got away from us" Andrew told me. Thank goodness for that. The wine has a big nose, port characters and a slightly acidic finish. Great view of the surrounding countryside from this property especially on a clear day.

Heathcote II
Impressed with the 07 HD shiraz. This wine has a soft peppery nose, good mouthfeel and balanced tannin finish. The other wine I tried was the 07 Myola which is a cabernet merlot. It has great colour and quite a big tannin finish. Would love to try it with a steak or slow cooked lamb dish.

Flynns
The standout was the 08 verdelho. The big nose certainly fills the passages. It also has a lovely citrus flavour with a nice acid finish.

Wild Duck Creek Estate
This was probably the highlight of the trip for me. David was there and pretty eager to crack a bottle so it was a memorable visit.
David started us on the 09 Little White Duck viognier. This is their first attempt at a viognier and it's turned out pretty well. It has a big nose, big taste and a lovely rich yellow colour. It is a serious, serious wine.

Next was the 07 Hammer Hill shiraz malbec. The malbec appears to soften the shiraz and what results is a light and bright wine.

Then on to the 06 Spring Flat shiraz - Bloody beautiful. I tried the fortified shiraz, a new experience for me, and liked it so much I bought a bottle and had it as dessert that night.

I also got to try something that gets mentioned a bit on this forum the Duck Muck. It was the '7th Duck Muck' (07) and it was just like liquid fruit cake. This wine is absolutely massive (17% alcohol) but with no alcohol burn. Amazing. It has a very long finish, David told me that apparently some German visitors timed the finish at 32 seconds. He also let us have the rest of the bottle (about half) to try with dinner. I now call him St Dave the generous.

Grace Devlin Wines
I like Brian Patterson who along with his wife Lee, owns this place and love his philosophy "I sell what I don't drink, I don't always have a lot to sell". Brilliant. Tried the 08 cabernet/ merlot/ cabernet franc which, despite being bottled young, was a well rounded and very smooth drop. The 08 shiraz was only bottled a month before our visit and Brian admitted it was still a bit raw. I thought it was showing a lot of promise.

Idavue Estate
Only tried their reds but they also make a semillon and chardonnay/ semillon. This was the only place that had a pinot (their 06) and it was quite good. Heavier and more tannic than your average Tassie pinot but very enjoyable especially as it is only $20 a bottle.

I also enjoyed their 06 shiraz cabernet. It was a nicely balanced, fruity big red with a solid finish. But the highlight was definately the 06 shiraz. Even being chilled (it was a very wet and cold day) didn't stop the taste coming through. It had a soft, comfortable mouth feel and is light enough to be drunk regularly but big enough to enjoy.

Sanguine Estate
Tony Hunter handled the tasting here and I liked just about everything on offer. I ordered more once I got back to Tassie.

07 Chardonnay. This is a chablis style, bright yellow and very tasty wine with a medium acid finish. Really good!
07 Tempranillo. I am a bit of a fan of this variety and this wine delivers in a way that keeps me keen. Fruity, light and with a slight tannin finish.
06 Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Petit Verdot. This blend is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and has a soft fruit taste with a minty tannin finish. We also noticed some alcohol warmth.
06 Estate Shiraz. This is a great example of a cool climate shiraz. It had the mouthfeel, the fruit highlight and an intense but controlled tannin finish.
06 D'orsa Reserve Shiraz. Apparently this wine is named after Tony's great grandfather and is a serious 'adult' shiraz. Well balanced and complex.

Overall a great trip but next time I will do a lot more pre-planning and get to more places.

Cheers
PJ