Heathcote Estate Single Vineyard Shiraz 2023 is sourced from a single vineyard on Drummond’s Lane, planted in 1999 on 500-million-year-old Cambrian soil — the ancient red earth that defines the heart of the Heathcote region. The 2023 vintage is the estate’s most decorated release to date, winning Wine of Show at the 2025 Heathcote Wine Show and Trophy Best Shiraz at the 2025 National Wine Show. 97 points from Ray Jordan (Wine Pilot) and 96 points from Jeni Port (James Halliday Wine Companion).
Tasting Notes
Appearance
Deep, inky purple-crimson with a dense, youthful core and a fine, clear rim.
Aroma
Black and red fruits with energy and intensity, layered with spice, briar, earth and a mineral-like vigour drawn from the ancient Cambrian soil. Smart vanillin oak in support.
Palate
Remarkable balance and concentration. Dark fruits, spice and a little chocolate with plummy richness, delivered with poise and elegance. Grainy, ripe tannins carry the wine to a long, seamless, persistent finish. Exceptional polish from 500L French oak puncheons. 20% whole bunch inclusion brings the palate into focus.
Cellaring
Cellar for optimum reward. The structure and concentration of the 2023 vintage will reward 15–20 years of cellaring.
Winemaking
Five individual blocks and their various sections were handled separately, creating 20 unique batches from the 2023 vintage. Grapes were gently de-stemmed with 20% whole bunches included and fermented in traditional open fermenters. Pressed and transferred into 500L French oak puncheons for malolactic fermentation. Racked twice during maturation and bottled February 2024.
Vintage Conditions
A long, bone-chilling winter led into a mild and suitably wet spring, continuing the string of La Niña seasons. Soil moisture was key to getting the season off to a great start. Mild conditions continued throughout summer and harvest commenced on 2 March — a month later than the earliest ever vintage. Fruit quality was exceptional. 2023 was the second year certified 100% organic from the estate.
Accolades
97 points — Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot: “Gosh, this is such a good wine. It was a super vintage in Heathcote, and you can see it immediately on the nose with further highlights on the palate. Spicy, savoury dark fruits, a little chocolate, plenty of those plummy riches. Finished with incredible polish with the use of 500-liter French oak puncheons.”
96 points — Jeni Port, James Halliday Wine Companion: “Delves deeply into the heart of Heathcote Shiraz. Black and red fruits, energy, elegant spices, briar, earth, smart vanillin oak and a mineral-like vigour that flows through the wine. Swept along in grainy, ripe tannins, lingering long on the finish.”
2025 National Wine Show — Trophy: Best Shiraz
2025 Heathcote Wine Show — Trophies: Best Young Shiraz, Best Shiraz, Best Single Vineyard Wine, Wine of Show
