I asked Joch to give me his vintage report for 2020 and this is what I got verbatim and straight from the horse’s mouth; ‘Looked like a bastard of a year; hot and dry and then it rained in late January and early February and a cool change moved in, which continued through to February and March and these conditions finished everything off nicely. There were tiny yields and so in reality 2020 ended up only a bitch of a year, not a bastard.

We pick and ferment the 3 varieties separately so they can develop their own varietal characters before they get blended prior to a little bit of oak maturation and bottling. Grapes were all picked ripe, but not overripe – the name of the game for Heretic is a balanced mid weight wine.

• Halliday Wine Companion

  Touriga, graciano, shiraz. An example of why one blends touriga, despite its velocity, aromatic presence and spicy verve. Lovely drinking. White peppercorn, violet, blue and red fruits and pastrami. The tannins, gritty, savoury and nicely shaped. The finish long and pointed, in search of food. (Ned Goodwin MW)

  93 points (SILVER medal)

  Published 16 May 2022

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