hEATHCOTE ESTATE

Heathcote Estate was planted in 1999 on the ancient Cambrian soils that define the heart of the region. The 500-million-year-old soils are integral to the distinctive characters in these special wines.  The Kirby family established Heathcote Estate with the sole objective to make one wine – a single vineyard shiraz.

The Heathcote Estate vineyard is situated on Drummond’s Lane, bordering the well known Jasper Hill Emily’s Paddock Vineyard. The site is managed and cared for by our dedicated vineyard team, who have meticulously nurtured each vine in each row – hand pruning the vines through winter and handpicking each bunch of fruit each harvest.

The vineyard is planted on the slightly undulating, north-facing country which is the heartland of the region. The land is classic Heathcote terrain – rich red-brown top soil of variable depth, but on average 15 centimetres lying above a sub-soil of clay, small rocks, quartz and rubble. This is scarcely fertile country, but it is ideal for vines as it has excellent water-holding capacity, without promoting too much vigour.

The vast majority of the vineyard is planted to Shiraz, with just one block of Nebbiolo. 

In September 2021, after a five year conversion process, the vineyard received organic (NASAA certification NCO3056ML1).