HEATHVALE VINEYARD REVIEWS

2018 Heathvale ‘The Encounter’  Cabernet Sauvignon

Cold-soaked, wild yeast with co-inoculation of mlf yeast, basket-pressed to  French oak (30% new), no fining. There are whispers of McLaren Vale & Langhorne Creek to accompany the main tune of dark blackcurrant and tapenade fruit. Aug 2020
95 points – Gold Medal – Cellar to 2038 – James Halliday

2016 Heathvale ‘The Encounter’ Cabernet Sauvignon

The packaging of this range of Heathvale wines is very stylish, even if not informative. The fruit was perfectly ripe, the tannins likewise, blackcurrant and olive tapenade mouthfilling. The length and overall balance and mouthfeel can’t be faulted. Aug 2020
95 points – Gold Medal – Cellar to 2033 – James Halliday

Good deep red colour with a lick of purple. The bouquet is nutty and meaty, slightly funky and yet clean, with raspberry fruit of some complexity. It’s medium to full-bodied and nicely balanced, with ample tannins and a good cabernet grip, but supple enough to approach now. Some raspberry flavours in the mid-palate, the finish refreshing and balanced. 08 JAN 2020 Drink: 2020–2031
90 points – Silver Medal –  # 11 of 35 – Huon Hooke – The Real Review

2015 Heathvale ‘The Encounter’ Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

The Eden Valley is able to produce cabernet with unequivocal cool climate savoury characters, this wine a prime example. Maturation in French oak (30% new) has built on the fruit foundation, providing context and structure on the medium to full-bodied palate.
94 points – James Halliday

2013 Heathvale ‘The Encounter’ Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Full crimson-purple; the bouquet is flush with blackcurrant fruit plus spice and oak nuances; the full-bodied palate shadows the bouquet, reinforcing, but not going beyond, the path laid down by the bouquet – and didn’t need to do so. Patience may be hard, but it’s needed for maximum results.
94 points – James Halliday

2012 Heathvale ‘The Encounter’ Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Positive crimson colour; the bouquet establishes the credentials of a very smart cabernet sauvignon, with pure cassis aromas and just a touch of French oak; the palate is every bit as pure and intense, almost mouthwatering; the tannins are ripe but fine-grained, the French oak spot on, the finish long and balanced.
95 points – James Halliday

Deep garnet in color with a hint of purple, the 2012 The Encounter Cabernet Sauvignon has notes of crème de cassis, blackberries and black cherries over sandalwood, cloves and pencil shavings. Medium to full-bodied and with very pleasant restraint on the palate, it features subtle black fruit flavors and nice purity with a medium to long chewy finish.
89 points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown – eRobertParker.com #219 June 2015

2018 Heathvale ‘The Reward’ Shiraz

The reward for the rejuvenation of the entire vineyard. Deeply robed in colour, it is full-bodied but keeps a sense of place (and balance). The fine-grained tannins and quality French oak (30% new) add to the lustre of a fine return to the Wine Companion. Aug 2020
95 points – Gold Medal –  Cellar to 2038 – James Halliday

2015 Heathvale ‘The Reward’ Eden Valley Barossa Shiraz

The estate vineyards vary in age, some chardonnay grafted to shiraz with 100+yo clonal bud wood from the Eden Valley. The wine is highly fragrant and expressive, with red and black cherry fruit supported by persistent but fine tannins, cedary oak ex maturation in 50% new French oak. Packaging is another plus.
95 points – James Halliday

2013 Heathvale ‘The Reward’ Eden Valley Barossa Shiraz

Deep, vivid crimson-purple; the palate confirms the promises of the bouquet, with imperious black fruits surging with spice, pepper and licorice, the tannin structure providing a classy backdrop, oak lending yet further support. This is a seriously good shiraz that has ticked each and every box.
96 points – James Halliday

Medium to deep garnet with a hint of purple, the 2012 The Reward Shiraz has a very peppery black fruit and mulberry-laced nose with hints of anise and underbrush. Medium to full-bodied, it packs a lot of peppery flavor into a relatively elegant package with great vivacity and length.
91 points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown – eRobertParker.com #219 June 2015

2018 Heathvale The Belief Eden Valley Sagrantino

Sagrantino grafted onto 34 yo chardonnay, the vines netted to prevent bird damage. Heathvale reds are always picked by hand in 1-2 t lots for quality control. Matured in French oak. This is the only Sagrantino that I’ve tasted that has good mouthfeel, structure and ripe red and purple fruits. Aug 2020
94 points – Silver Medal – Cellar to 2029 – James Halliday

A vibrant, deep red colour with bright edges. Aniseed, turmeric and black cherries lead the aromatics, bitumen and earthy undertones. Acidity cuts a swathe through the wine, with grainy tannins adding grip and interest. It will live a very long time – drinking beautifully now 15 DEC 2019 Drink: 2019–2031
93 points – Silver Medal – Nick Butler – The Real Review

2017 Heathvale ‘The Belief’ Sagrantino

The meaning of the label isn’t explained, but could be a reflection of the difficulties in making this most intransigent variety into a drinkable red wine, not a barbed wire fence. If you ignore the residual tannins, this goes closer that any I can previously remember. Its red fruits are firm, but there are no bleeding gums here. Aug 2020
93 points – Silver Medal – Cellar to 2030 – James Halliday  

2013 Heathvale The Belief Eden Valley Sagrantino

Very good colour; the bouquet is way left, off the beaten track, teasing you along the way, the palate following suit; fresh and poached blueberries plus star anise fruit is sustained not so much by tannins as acidity. Very interesting wine for the nerds.
92 points – James Halliday

2012 Heathvale The Belief Eden Valley Sagrantino

Vibrant hue; you can’t quite escape the clutches of the tannins on the finish, but there is much to enjoy on the way through, with its bursts of redcurrant, blueberry and dark cherry. Cellaring would not be a waste of time; this has plenty of promise.
92 points – James Halliday

Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2012 The Belief Sagrantino offers a nose of fragrant earth, potpourri and dried lavender over a core of kirsch, red currant jelly and blackberry tart. The lovely perfumed/spicy palate sports a medium to full-bodied and earthy red and black fruit flavors, supported by chewy tannins and finishing with good length.
90 points – Lisa Perrotti-Brown – eRobertParker.com #219 June 2015