Heathcote Vineyard

Heathcote Vineyard

The Chalmers Heathcote Vineyard

In 2008, the family purchased 80 hectares of farmland on Heathcote’s Mount Camel Range in the north of the GI. The vineyard was established with high-end wine production in mind, both for the family label and as a fruit source for established and emerging makers, generally working with around 40 winemakers each year.

The site, on a gentle east-facing slope, ranging from 150 metres to 225 metres above sea level, allowed for planting with the distillation of hard-won experience and, significantly, with intimate familiarity of the climate- apt grapes that were selected as most suitable – the vineyard had 24 varieties planted as of the 2024 vintage.

That clean slate saw the vineyard planted to ideal specifications, with high-density on an east-to-west row orientation to encourage even ripening and allow airflow down the slope to mitigate disease pressure. Additionally, rootstocks were carefully matched to varieties. The first vines were planted in 2009, with the first vintage coming in 2011.

The fabled red Cambrian soils are a feature of the site, but there is nuanced intricacy to soils and geology, with the famous red clay loam predominating on the lower parts of the slope, while the higher reaches are rocky, with a complex mix of ironstone, dolerite, green basalt and jasper. Those bottom sections are more fertile, while the top section is tougher going, making for lower yielding vines and wines of detail, elegance and mineral reflection.

Over time, sections of the vineyard have been identified that have performed exceptionally well with certain varieties, moving beyond varietal expression to tell an intimate story of place, conveying soil, aspect and macroclimate. Some of the early stars were Fiano, Nero d’Avola, Aglianico, Greco and Vermentino, while later, Falanghina, Pecorino and Piedirosso, for example, have all shown a special affinity with their carefully selected blocks.