Hanging Rock Winery was started in 1983 by John and Ann Ellis in the
Macedon Ranges region of Victoria. The winery is located 1.8 miles from
the internationally known Hanging Rock (Picnic at Hanging Rock, by Joan
Lindsay) on the slopes of an extinct volcano known as the “Jim
Jim.”
John is an experienced vintner having been the foundation wine maker
for both Rosemount and Tisdall wineries. Ann is no stranger to wine
making either being a third generation Australian winemaker. Their combined
knowledge has gained them 45 Gold Medals and 3 Trophies in 10 vintages
of the Heathcote Shiraz.
Hanging Rock uses grapes from vineyards located in some of Australia’s
best wine growing areas. Their philosophy is to utilize their wine making
techniques to produce wines of consistent quality. Their goal is to
create wine styles that reflect the dedication and time spent on developing
the wine. Each wine is unique and exhibits the brilliant blending skills
of wine maker John Ellis. Hanging Rock continuously earns awards for
their many wines and produced Victoria’s best performing Shiraz
in 2002.
Heathcote Shiraz:
45 Gold Medals & 3 Trophies in 10 Vintages
The 2001 vintage continues the high standards established with the
award winning 2000. A significant feature of this vintage is the use
of “steam-bent” American Oak barriques which impart a gentler,
smoother oak character to the wine. This Shiraz has a deep and intense
purple/mulberry color and strong plum, berry and fruit aromas with a
gentle oak presence and a hint of mint. It has a silky texture, delicious
plum and berry flavors and a good balance between fruit, oak and tannin.
Food pairing suggestion: braised kid with polenta
Amaroo Farm Shiraz Mouvedre
Amaroo Farm vineyard is located near Mathoura in the Big Rivers appellation
of southern New South Wales. Mathoura is a warm climate region close
to the historical Moira Station, one of Australia’s earliest sheep
stations. This rich full flavoured wine was aged in one-year-old American
Oak barriques for 15 months prior to bottling in September 2003. The
Shiraz provides rich, ripe berry fruit flavours and the Mouvedre firm
tannins and structure.
Strathbogie Ranges Chardonnay
The Strathbogie Ranges is a cool climate region in central Victoria,
situated on the Great Dividing Range. The 2002 vintage delivered excellently
ripened grapes. We invested in new French oak, in which the wine was
matured for 12 months. The result is a chardonnay packed with juicy
melon flavours and restrained oak character. The structure of the wine–acidity,
flavour and oak–all in balance, indicates that this wine will
cellar well.
To purchase this wine please contact Christina Cutshaw at (916)
765-0629 or christina@heathcotecellars.com
Hanging Rock Winery and Vineyard photo courtesy Hanging Rock.
