The 2022 Season

In simple terms, 2022 was a cooler, later ripening year with plenty of rainfall. Heathcote enjoyed good winter and spring rains (rarely a given in this region), followed by a very dry summer and ripening period. It was really a dream season, with the grapes harvested at the end of February (25-27th– late for Heathcote) with perfectly ripe fruit at just over 13% potential alcohol. Our Harcourt block, being in a considerably cooler place on the foothills of Mount Alexander in the Bendigo G.I., had a considerably later harvest; the grapes being picked on the 26th of March, a full month later than Heathcote. This was also about a fortnight later than what we might consider typical, and yet, once again, the ripeness achieved was perfect, with superb flavour and potential alcohols of around 13%. The only minor scare in Harcourt was a couple of downpours in the lead-up to harvest, but in the end, this had no negative effect. On the contrary, it seemed to bring extra freshness and finesse to the wines.

For both vineyards we picked the fruit ourselves, wanting to ensure that we got the grapes off at precisely the right moment. This was also the first vintage that we were able to use our own, purpose-built, stackable picking crates. These crates (pictured below) hold under 10kg of fruit (most fruit in Australia is picked into bins that hold 100s of kilos), and stack on top of each other, above the fruit line, so they keep the grapes perfectly intact with zero crushing or oxidation of juice.

The Harcourt 2022 is clearly the finest and most delicate Syrah we’ve made from this site. The Syrah No2 is also markedly finer than the ’21. We love them both. It’s the same for our Grower Series white, which is now labelled “Harcourt Marsanne Roussanne”, reflecting the 25% Roussanne included in the blend. This percentage will vary from year to year, subject to the vintage. Finally, the Heathcote Syrah, now released with an extra year of aging in large cask, comes from the powerful 2021 vintage. You can read about that outstanding wine below.

These wines are the product of more than a decade of learning and experimentation, and the 2022 season delivered superb wines from both sites. The Syrah’s have intensity and structure but remain savoury and with excellent finesse, while the Marsanne Roussanne is true to our deep, rich and layered style. Having now shown these wines to great palates, both local and international, I feel very confident in stating (rather immodestly) that the wines below are outstanding examples of their styles, and that they bear comparison to benchmarks from anywhere, including France. They are now being purchased by quality importers in the U.S.A, England, France, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, amongst others. 

The closure for all wines is DIAM 30.