EARLY HISTORY

The viticultural history of the Heathcote district dates back to the middle of the nineteenth century and the pioneering efforts of German immigrants.

Henning Rathjen, recognised as one of the great ‘Middle Period’ Australian pioneers, was born on the first of April 1826 in Germany and moved to Australia around 1850. In 1858, the land around the township of Colbinabbin, north of Heathcote, was opened for selection and Henning along with two mates made the trip to Colbinabbin. After deciding to settle in the region, farming commenced and a vineyard was eventually planted by Henning in the 1860’s consisting of Shiraz and Marsanne vines. Further plantings were envisioned after his wines were awarded accolades at the local Rochester Wine Show. The original vines Henning planted no longer exist, however the structure of the original wine cellar remains.


RECENT HISTORY

The recent revival of grape growing in the Heathcote district was driven by two Italians who have left an incredible legacy, demonstrating their wonderful sense of the future.

Albino Zuber planted his vines on the site that has recently been acquired by Shadowfax Winery. Albino’s block is on the highway on the left hand side as one leaves Heathcote. The Shiraz vines are now quite mature, having developed thick, stumpy trunks. Albino was a man of the land, uncomplicated with a gentle manner. He was quite tall for an Italian, and built in a very solid manner that easily made him an integral part of the vineyard landscape. Always softly spoken, he made his own wine in the early years, often in a very traditional peasant style, but later relied on the winemaking skills of John Ellis. The site, subject to frost, proved to be a difficult one however Albino persevered naming his brand Zuber Estate. His 1992 Pink Cliffs Shiraz was one of the highlights of his career and clearly demonstrated the capacity of the site to produce extraordinary wine from a good year.

Bruno Pangrazio is the Italian inspiration behind Jasper Hill, and it was he who planted the vines on the property that Ron and Elva Laughton purchased in 1975. The first vintage that they produced under the distinctive Jasper Hill label was in 1982, and caught the market by surprise. Ron, a food scientist, and his wife Elva, a milliner, used their working talents to produce a superb ‘lazy winemakers’ wine which was coupled with an extraordinary slick presentation. Elva stuck vintage ribbons around the necks of each bottle with milliner’s adhesive to create a unique style that projected their ambition to produce exceptional wine. There can be no doubt that the district owes its reputation almost solely to the efforts of the couple who consistently have produced exceptional wines from their drylands vineyard.

Artist Len French, known internationally for his spectacular ceiling in the National Gallery of Victoria, became fascinated with Shiraz during a trip to France in the early 1970’s. Len tells the story that he visited many vineyards in Burgundy and the Rhone and crushed samples of dirt in his hands to see if there were any visual comparisons with the Cambrian soils of Heathcote. He came to the conclusion that the Shiraz grapes from the Rhone Valley would be most likely to succeed, and so in 1975 together with a friend Dr James Munro, planted the Mount Ida vineyard (adjacent to Jasper Hill). At the time of planting, Shiraz vines were being pulled up in South Australia, giving rise to the phrase French’s Folly. He was an artist and such an indulgence could be understood in that context. The Mount Ida vineyard produced exceptional wines, and when Len and his doctor mate got tired of growing grapes the vineyard was sold on. The Mount Ida vineyard has changed hands several times, and is now a part of the Beringer Blass Empire.

The Tudhope family established Heathcote Winery in the main street in the early 1980’s as well as planting new vineyards on Cambrian soils south of the township. The family were one of the district’s early pioneers, popularising their rich full bodied Shiraz and Chardonnays which were made in the winery located behind the existing cellar door.

In 1980, the exuberant Dave and Dianna Anderson of Wild Duck Creek Estate made their appearance in the district and gained a huge cult following with their Duck Muck – a Shiraz Pressings which has sold in excess of $3500 in magnum, scoring perfect ratings from American wine authority Robert Parker.

Bit by bit, the wine bug caught the imagination of enthusiasts – ex Melbourne stock broker Leigh Hunt planted Huntleigh in 1975 with Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, producing some excellent Cotes du Rhone styles over the years.

Robyn and Peter Turley planted a small vineyard McIvor Creek in 1973.

In 1955, Paul Osicka established his vineyard at Graytown on the eastern edge of the present Heathcote region. His reds were big and matured well. Peter Dredge’s Red Edge vineyard was established in 1971.

In 1992, Adrian Munari and his partner Deborah Jones purchased Graham Lewis’ vineyard then called Lady Creek and renamed it Munari Wines.

Andrew Millis established Barnadown Run near Toolleen on the western face of the Mt Camel Range in 1994. The word had got out and more professional people emerged in the district, one notable success being Tony Hunter and his family at Sanguine Estate.

Up to this time most of the plantings had been quite small, and then the big boys moved in; Brown Brothers with Patricia Park,
Southcorp Wines with 1,000 acres North of Colbinabbin (known locally as South Park) and Tyrrell's Wines in 1994 on the North face of Mt Camel.

Today there are 4,000 acres planted in the Heathcote region, with another 6,000 acres scheduled to be planted over the next decade.

The Rathjen family has reasserted their presence with Ian and Lynn planting the Whistling Eagle vineyard in 1994, brother Daryl planting vines on the original site in 1998 and sister Louise establishing a new planting opposite the old family home in 2000. The cycle has turned the full circle and now the serious history of the district will be written.

Barnadown Run is well worth the short detour from the highway, if not to taste the wines then for the view alone. The smartly designed contemporary winery overlooks a vast panorama of pastures, forest and timeless stands of eucalypts. Named after the original pastoral lease which encompassed the property, Barnadown Run is a 40-hectare property on the western slopes of the Mt Camel Range, 20 kms north of Heathcote. As well as the rich soil which offers good drainage and excellent moisture retention, the hillside location means the vineyard catches the breeze which helps prevent mildew and is above the frost line.

Following several years successful exporting, chiefly to the United States, Barnadown Run's founder/viticulturalist/winemaker, Andrew Millis has secured a more permanent presence in Melbourne for his central Victorian label.

Andrew Millis, winemaker.

"The rich terra rossa soil for which the best Heathcote vineyards are famous, together with the marginal cool climate produces wines which are full of rich fruit and berry characters," says Andrew.
"This district has similar sunlight hours to Bordeaux and low rainfall and grows the best fruit in the world. And there's growing interest offshore and domestically, in the Heathcote style."
Nick's stores at Armadale, Doncaster and City and 20 restaurants around Melbourne are stocking Barnadown Run 2000 Shiraz, Cabernet and Chardonnay.

The 28th of March, 2001 was an auspicious occasion for Ron Laughton at Jasper Hill. At around 4:30pm in the afternoon all the grapes for Emily’s Paddock were harvested, and as it happens this event coincided with perfect physiological ripeness, and from a biodynamic perspective, the ‘right phase of the moon’. Laughton could hardly be considered a new age ‘nutter’ given his science background, but from his own observations he has noticed some important correlations in plant and flavour development which correspond to moon cycles.


Winemaker, Ron Laughton.

While not everyone will agree with his philosophy, Ron Laughton continues to produce exceptional, refined Shiraz (and in parallel manages to increase his prices every year!)

The first vintage Jasper Hill produced was in 1982 and it caught the market by surprise. To this day, Jasper Hill remains a benchmark Heathcote producer and is still considered by many as the label responsible for Heathcote's reputation as a great Shiraz region.

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