This year is off to a great start, if you ask us. We’re excited to be launching the 2019 Ingram Road Chardonnay, 2019 Ingram Road Pinot Grigio and Ingram Road 2019 Heathcote Shiraz. Three wines that encapsulate the incredible vintage conditions present last year, including warm temperatures, resilient grapes and our signature hands-on approach to picking and fermenting.

To give you an idea of what makes these three so special, we’ve shared the unique process we went through to create each one and how this resulted in some of our favourite wines yet.

Ingram Road 2019 Chardonnay

Our 2019 Ingram Road Chardonnay was created with meticulous attention to detail. All the fruit was hand picked from sites selected for their prevalence to produce fruit that suits the Ingram Road style. The grapes were whole bunch pressed then transferred to barrel for fermentation and maturation in 100% French oak.

We use 100% ‘wild’ fermentation process during the initial stage, which ensures that only ‘wild’ yeasts that occur naturally in our vineyard are used in the primary ferment of this wine. The result is a wine with flavours that are unique to our single vineyard site in Coldstream. 

With highlighted tasting notes of stone fruit, melon and citrus, this wine is one where the palate reflects the nose, featuring a blend of white stone fruit, light melon, citrus and vanilla. Fresh and bright on the front palate with ample acidity, this wine is finished perfectly with subtle creaminess and hints of French oak. 

Colour: Honeyed gold

Aroma: Citrus, white stone fruits

Palate: Vanilla, citrus, crisp acidity

Ingram Road 2019 Pinot Grigio

While we love to bring a distinctly French feel to our wines, when it comes to Pinot Grigio we take our lead from the Italians.

Helen’s Hill co-owner and vigneron Allan Nalder fell in love with this expression of the variety while honeymooning in Piedmont, the region from which this crisp, fruit driven style of making Pinot Gris originates. Luckily, the Yarra Valley is a region that allows this varietal to thrive, so swe couldn’t resist adding it to our range.

A confluence of fresh fruit flavours and crisp acidity, this drop offers a clean fresh finish with flavours of apple and nashi pear. We used cold tank fermentation to pronounce a series of nuanced yet rich, textural flavours on the mid-palate, making it a wine to suit every season. 

The grapes for the 2019 Pinot Grigio are hand picked early and the fruit is whole bunch pressed, retaining its natural acidity. Once the juice is cold settled in the tank for three days, it undergoes a cool, controlled ferment. 

After the fermentation process, the wine continues to mature in tank for three months before bottling. The final result is a crisp, fruit driven and mineral wine that holds true to the traditional Grigio style. 

Colour: Pale straw, slight pinkish blush

Aroma: Apple, nashi pear

Palate: Apples, nashi pear, clean minerality

Ingram Road 2019 Heathcote Shiraz

Why is the Heathcote Shiraz included in the Ingram Road range?

Simply put, the benefits of the ancient Cambrian soil and hot climate of the vineyard, combine to produce a type of Shiraz that tastes too good to be missed.

Once picked, the Shiraz fruit is destemmed and crushed gently in order to maintain the berries as a whole. It is then placed into open-top fermenters to sit on skins for 14 days. 

After this initial fermentation process is complete, the wine is then pressed off, settled and racked into 20 percent new French Oak barriques. It remains in the barriques for 14 months, allowing it to properly mature.  

Best enjoyed with comfort food such as heavy red meats in front of a fire on a cold winter's evening; the 2019 Shiraz coats the mouth with savoury spice and intense dark fruit flavours. 

The Shiraz is sourced from a single block of vines, the 2019 vintage has a flavour that is instantly recognisable in a way that sets it apart.  

Exploding on the palate with tones of liquorice, dark fruits and savoury notes, it extends to a long smooth finish complemented perfectly with rich tannins and subtle hints of oak. 

Colour: Deep ruby red

Aroma: Dark fruits, tobacco and spice

Palate: Savoury tones, liquorice and an extended smooth finish

If you’d like to experience our Ingram Road wines for yourself, we’d love to extend an invitation for you to come and visit our cellar door. Head to Helenshill.com.au to book a tasting.