London International Wine Challenge Gold? Check. Australian New Zealand Boutique Wine Awards Gold? Check. Perth Royal Wine Show Gold? Check. James Halliday-awarded 96 points? Check.
As the list of accolades for their 2013 Chardonnay, The Willow, continues to grow, Heydon Estate owners George and Mary Heydon are keen to stay focused on creating the highest quality wines, but say the kudos are a nice addition to what they call their “expensive passion”.
“Entering competitions can be an exhausting process, particularly for smaller producers,” Mr Heydon said, after returning from Sydney where they collected Best Chardonnay at the 2017 Boutique Wine Awards.
He said the winery focused on entering a select few competitions which suited the style and ethos behind their wines.
“We are very much driven by the vines, and our biodynamic approach to them, we really try to leave them alone to do what they do best,” he said.
“Our winemaker Mark Messenger has been with us for 14 years, and for a decade now Heydon Estate has been producing world renowned Chardonnay and Cabernet.
“Because we are on the smaller side of wine production, we are able to bottle age our wines for significant extra time until we deem them ready for release.
“As we know, most wine is consumed within 24 hours of purchase. This way, we are actually cellaring the wines for our customers and presenting them at their peak, allowing for that beautiful oak to come through.”
Margaret River’s Brash vineyard also won the award for best Cabernet at the Boutique Wine Awards.