The wines
of Heartland,
McLaren Vale, Australia
Heartland Wines Pty Ltd, 229
Greenhill Road, Dulwich, South Australia, Australia 5065
Tel: +61 (0) 8 8431 4322 Fax: +61 (0) 8 8431 4355
E-mail: admin@heartlandwines.com.au
Website: www.heartlandwines.com.au
I've
already written about start Aussie winemaker Ben
Glaetzer, and his Mitolo and Glaetzer
wines. Now it's time to review his more affordable Heartland range.
One of the reasons Ben wanted to set up Heartland is
because he was aware of the amalgamation of companies in the
Australian wine industry, with all wines tasting ‘generic’.
‘They’re less vibrant; less representative of what Australia
offers’, he says. ‘I knew we could do better than that.’
Heartland has five owners. Ben is the major
shareholder, then there’s Grant Tillbrook (accountant), Scott Collett
(who owns Woodstock), Geoff Hardy (viticulturalist) and Vicky Arnold.
There are two others with smaller shareholders, Gino Molino and John
Pargeter (vineyard manager at Greenock Creek).
Heartland own 1000 acres of vineyard, 450 of which are
on the Limestone Coast. As well as using these grapes for the
Heartland wines, some are sold (for example, to make the Zonte’s
Footstep wines). The other 550 hectares are in the Langhorne Creek
region. The vineyards have a slightly different shareholding, but the
majority of this is from the same people who are involved with
Heartland.
What’s impressive about Heartland is the quality of
wines considering their cost and the volume made. These aren’t
expensive, but outclass many wines twice their price. As I've
said before, the world needs good, affordable wine. These are all
affordable and all very good.
UK agent: Great Western Wine (www.greatwesternwine.co.uk)
Heartland
Stickleback White 2005
A blend of Semillon, Chardonnay and Verdelho. Quite fresh and
aromatic. Lovely weight of fruit here: fresh and lemony but some
tropical fruit, too. Very good+ 86/100 (£5.95 SWIG, Noel Young,
Oddbins)
Heartland
Viognier Pinot Gris 2005
Harvested in four to five batches, and the Pinot Gris was left for
7 hours on the skins. Lovely aromatic, perfumed nose is fresh, open
and spicy. Good weight on the palate with nice freshness and some
fullness, too. A complete white wine. Very good/excellent 91/100 (£8.99
Oddbins, SWIG, Noel Young)
Heartland
Stickleback Red 2004
Sweet, open, accessible nose leads to a nice soft, open rounded
palate that is rich and smooth. A delicious, accessible wine. Very
good+ 88/100 (£5.95 SWIG, Noel Young, Oddbins)
Heartland
Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Rich, smooth, ripe nose which is full and spicy with a hint of
mint. The palate is smooth with nice savoury, spicy palate and chewy
tannins. Very good+ 88/100 (£7.49 SWIG, Oddbins, Noel Young)
Heartland
Shiraz 2004
Lovely open spicy nose is perfumed with well defined fruit.
Apparently the Limestone Coast gives a mint/menthol note and the
Langhorne Creek more chocolate and truffle notes. The palate is spicy
and fresh with lovely pure, clean fruit. Nice stuff. Very good+ 89/100
(£7.49 SWIG, Noel Young, Oddbins)
Heartland
Dolcetto Lagrein 2004
Heartland have 30 acres of Lagrein, which is the largest planting
outside Italy. Lovely pure fruit here with a nice savoury tang to the
beautifully pure red and black fruits. Smooth and seamless with a nice
freshness. Very good/excellent 90/100 (£8.99 Oddbins, SWIG, Noel
Young)
Heartland
Director’s Cut Shiraz 2004
Rich, smooth, sweet intense spicy nose. The palate is smooth, full
and spicy. Really appealing. Quite a big oak impact at the moment at
present but this is one for the future. Very good/excellent 91/100
(SWIG, Oddbins, Noel Young)
Wines tasted 02/05
Find
these wines with wine-searcher.com
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