Heggies Eden Valley Riesling 2007
It's a little-known fact that the history of winegrowing in the Eden Valley region dates back just as far as the neighbouring Barossa Valley. Joseph Gilbert, ancestor of contemporary Mudgee winemaker Simon Gilbert, planted Pewsey Valley in 1847, the same year Johann Gramp started Orlando. Pewsey Vale went out of production in the early part of the 20th century but was replanted by Yalumba in the 1960s, beginning in '61. A few years later, Heggies was also developed by Yalumba in the same locality. both have carved their fame with the Riesling. Heggies began with the '79 vintage.
Today they are both fine examples of the understated, minerally, long-ageing Eden Valley Riesling style, but are subtly different. Yalumba senoir white-winemaker Louisa Rose sees Heggies as a tighter, more steely style than Pewsey, leaning towards green-apple flavours. "It's a slightly higher, cooler site, and the grapes ripen at a lower sugar level," she says.
Heggies is a single vineyard in the Eden Valley where the 'terroir' is encouraged to produce the distinctive Heggies wine styles. The soil is a thin layer of grey sandy loam over clay and decomposed rock - and vines compete vigorously for moisture and nutrient. An altitude of 550 m above sea level, 787 mm of annual rain, plus innovative viticultural practises produce wines of an extremely high quality.
