• Delivery
Wine clubWine clubWine clubWine club
  • Gift registry
  • Wishlist
  • FAQs
At latitude 45 degrees south, Central Otago is the southernmost wine region in the world. Snow topped mountains, rocky ranges and dry tussock hills, a place of climatic extremes, bitterly cold winters, parched soils and discouragingly poor fertility. Designed by the angels in heaven for sublime and stupendous vintages of Pinot Noir. At the very epicentre of the most desirable confluence in Central Otago microclimes is Nanny Goat Vineyard. Conspicuous for her serious weight of fruit, splendid structure and chewy, textural palate, Nanny Goat make a magnificently endowed style, offering the understated power and presence to accompany gourmet game sausages, meaty Mediterranean braises or char grilled rib... That's perfect for porterhouse»
Some precious old blocks of ancient vine Grenache still remain after a government sponsored program to cull unproductive vineyards during the 1980s. Yielding excruciatingly small harvests of the most characterful fruit, these wizzened old veterans deliver small batch vintages which are evocative of the old world classics from Cotes du Rhone. The enduring Wirra Wirra were established 1894, their eclectic range belies the splendour of small parcels which are separately handled and bottled for exclusive release. The Absconder draws fruit from vines planted a century ago, it merits a breathing and decant, an articulation about the sublime excellence of old vine Australian Grenache... The compelling case for old vines grenache»
Major Sir Thomas Mitchell left more than just an invaluable bequeth of our nation's most detailed frontier maps. Mitchell distinguished himself in Wellington's army during the Napoleonic wars in the renowned 95th Baker Rifles. A gifted draftsman, he found his way to the nascent colonies of Australia, where his acumen at mapmaking won him the office of Surveyor General. During one of Mitchell's historical expeditions, he charted the fertile lands around Victoria's Goulburn Valley, establishing the colonial fruitgrowing township of Mitchell's Town. The district's auspicious orchards flourished until Colin Preece identified the region as an opportune place to grow world class wine. Vineyards thusly planted.. Barriques between the billabongs»
Gary and Nick Farr are father and son, they make wine together but aren't afraid to go head to head when their opinions differ. Nick grew up amongst some of the world's most sacred vineyards, he knows about the land and found a magnificent little site, barely east of Lake Colac. Irrewarra is the vigneron's shangri-la, prepared for viticulture by generations of grazing and eons of the sobering south sea breezes, which stimulate vines to yield meagre harvests of parched little grapes, sleek of tannin and rich in flavour. Vintaged in excruciatingly limited lots, there are fully two styles of Irrewarra on offer, a grapefruit and oyster shell Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir of pasture and of place, both finished to.. It's irrewarra by farr»

Heathcote Winery Mail Coach Shiraz CONFIRM VINTAGE

Shiraz Viognier Heathcote Victoria
One of the earliest commercial winemaking operations ever established in Victoria. Heathcote Winery can also boast some of the oldest Australian plantings of Viognier. The winery building dates back to 1854 when it serviced miners seeking their fortune in the heady days of the Victorian gold rush. Shiraz with a splash of Viognier is predominantly sourced from estate vineyards on the periphery of Heathcote township, harvested just when the chunky tannins, cherry acids, natural grape sugars and bold red Heathcote earth characters are at their peak.
Available in cartons of six
Case of 6
$221.50
Exclusively Heathcote Shiraz is treated to a Rhone styled co-fermentation with a small amount of Viognier, lifting the colour and infusing the aromatics with wonderful apricot floral scents, while adding body and increasing palate structure. Parcels are processed and vinified through individual batches to a regimen of old world winemaking techniques, including hand plunging in open vessels and pump overs in closed fermentation vats. Upon completion, Mail Coach is pressed and matured up to seventeen months in a selection of new and seasoned French oak barriques, crafted by a range of cooperages to facilitate complexity and encourage components to achieve their full potential.
Deep scarlet red with purple hues. Lifted, regional nose of blackcurrants and dark berry fruit, menthol notes highlight toasted oak characters and carry aromatics onto the palate. Brooding in style, medium to full bodied wine showing dense regional fruit and impeccable balance. High end French oak contributes to a tasty, supple tannin profile, concentrated primary fruit suggests added complexity as the wine continues to evolve.
Viognier
1 - 12 of 68
1 2 3 4 5 6 next»
1 - 12 of 68
1 2 3 4 5 6 next»
Heathcote Winery
Heathcote Winery was one of the first commercial wineries in Heathcote

Uniquely positioned along Heathcote's main street, Heathcote Winery holds a surprise for many of its visitors. Few could ever expect to find a fully functioning winery directly behind a Cellar Door. The estate wineworks and adjacent art gallery are sited within the restored produce store built by Thomas Craven in 1854 to cater for the huge influx of gold miners seeking their fortune. Thomas Craven sold wine and spirits, and traded in gold. An entrepreneurial type, he also ran a coach service (depicted in the logo) from stables behind the Cellar Door, delivering supplies and mail around Central Victoria, hence the significance of the estate's Mail Coach range.

Heathcote Winery

Not many country towns can boast a winery in the main street, but at Heathcote it's a part of the scenery. Visitors to the cellar door enjoy free wine tastings and a range of locally produced foods, or may simply stroll through the Art Gallery, which features exhibitions by regional artists. The courtyard offers free BBQ facilities and is a great place to unwind with a glass of wine or your favourite coffee. Functions can be catered for in the Art Gallery and courtyard.

The Central Heathcote area, with its own unique micro-climate, has the ability to produce shiraz styles with power and elegance, wines with voluptuous fruit whilst young, tending towards the dark red fruit spectrum, yet avoiding stewed characters. Natural tannins seem to find their balance, adding length to the palate. Winter rains are followed by cold spring nights, a little more rain, and then warm dry conditions through to harvest. The Heathcote red soils, deriving from Cambrian greenstone, are free draining and a touch hungry. Yields are naturally low.

Heathcote's a tough area to grow grapes. If it was easy, then you wouldn't get the quality at the end of the day. Enormous frosts or wildcat fire seasons can completely wipe out a vineyard. An entire vintage can be reduced to a few barrels of wine. Through painstaking vineyard management, low but realistic yields are achieved, producing ripe small berries that result in fruit with concentrated flavours and naturally balanced tannins. Fruit is picked only when it is ready and that means flavour ripe. The decision is made in the vineyard, not the laboratory.

Heathcote Winery

Heathcote Winery produced its first vintage in 1983 and now specialises in the release of outstanding local wines. Shiraz is the cornerstone of Heathcote Winery's premium wine production, Mail Coach Shiraz was awarded Top Gold Medal in its class at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show against 240 other wines. Today, Heathcote Winery is meeting the demand for wines that are truly reflective of the region, with the estate’s individual stamp of innovation and excellence.

In 1997 the winery was acquired by an independent group of wine enthusiasts led by Stephen Wilkins. Stephen and his partners share a passionate commitment to produce wines reflective of the Heathcote Region but distinctly Heathcote Winery. The wines attest to this commitment, delivering concentrated fruit aromas and flavours and intense colour. Heathcote Winery splash their shiraz with viognier, in a Rhonesque way, but in definitive Heathcote styling, which gives lifted aromas and palate length without compromising the naturally concentrated shiraz flavours. The aim within the winemaking process is minimal intervention, allow the wine to speak for itself.

Viognier harvested from some of the earliest plantings in Victoria, is gently whole bunch pressed for refined varietal expression, and is added to the shiraz for co-fermentation. The individual parcels are plunged by hand or through press as required to enhance flavour development, elegance and mid palate richness. The Heathcote Winery's wines are aged in carefully selected American and French oak to complement, but not to overpower the natural tannins and fruit flavours in the wine.

The pioneers of Heathcote sowed the seeds of some of the world's most superb shiraz vineyards, reflecting minimal intervention, and the natural attributes of the local climes. The Heathcote Winery team share this passion to produce great shiraz, combined with the individual handprint that stamps their wines as distinctly Heathcote Winery Heathcote Shiraz.

Heathcote Winery