The Shiraz grapes are grown in the Heathcote region, located north of Australia’s Great Dividing Range, 170 kilometres inland from the Victoria coast. With fairly mild summers, Heathcote benefits from the effects of cool winds blowing up from the south that are channelled through the valleys of the Mount Camel Range. This provides an extended growing season, encouraging a slow, steady ripening and greater complexity in the grapes. The Mount Camal Range has a major influence on the climate, and the southern winds have a cooling influence on the vineyards. The ancient Cambrian red soils are made up of weathered greenstone and are rich in minerals, with a great capacity for retaining water to nourish the vines throughout the growing season. The soils have superb heat-retaining properties, storing heat throughout the day and radiating it into the evening, contributing to the lengthening of the ripening period. The Shiraz variety thrives in the Heathcote region and produces small, concentrated and ripe berries with balancing acidity.