Wild Duck Creek 'Ducks & Drakes' Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2022

This is a small family-run winery that placed Heathcote on the map with the highest-ever Robert Parker score for an Australian wine (Duck Muck 1997). Everything is hand-picked, open fermented, hand-plunged and basket-pressed. Biodynamic principles are used in their own vineyards. 

This blend comes from two distinct vineyards each year. Full bodied, luscious and driven, just as Heathcote Cabernet should be. The grapes are fully de-stemmed, then fermented in open fermenters, gently hand plunged and pumped over to soften tannins, then basket pressed into French and American oak hogsheads and puncheons, 40% of which are new. A wine that can be carefully cellared for up to 15 years.

The winery's philosophy is simple:

"If we can improve our environment, we will improve our wines and leave the land better than it was before. Our efforts to minimise the environmental impact in the production of all Wild Duck Creek Estate products and to improve our environment include:

• Reforestation of our vacant land. Over the past 10 years we have planted 10,000 trees on our unused land that was previously logged for farming;
• We use 100% renewable energy in the winery and vineyards;
• The elimination of the use of herbicides and synthetic chemicals in our vineyards
• We use compost undervine to develop richness in our soils, increase microorganism activity, and improve water holding capacity.
• We have planted and intend to keep planting many different species of trees, shrubs and grasses to increase biodiversity in our region.
• We are moving to becoming certified carbon neutral (and intend to be carbon positive) in early 2021. This will give you will have the confidence that all Wild Duck Creek Estate products and our business have had their environmental impact offset."red