Peder Rosdal attending Heathcote II cellar door. Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
What draws two people, who between them have lived and worked in Denmark, Spain, California, France & Sydney, to settle down amongst the gently undulating hills and rocky outcrops of rural Heathcote? The answer, in this case, is simple; Heathcote’s unique terroir. The day I journeyed to Toolleen to catch up with Heathcote II owners & vignerons Peder Rosdal & Lionel Flutto, Lionel was flat-chat hand-pruning the 13,000 vines planted across 13-acres of their 80 acre-property {which is, regretfully, why Lionel doesn’t feature in my pics}.
Heathcote’s terroir is perfect for producing Shiraz {Syrah}, a particular favourite of Peder’s. I personally fell in love with the Heathcote II Shiraz when first tasting it back in 2005 and each visit to the cellar door has only ever strengthened my high regard. Peder & Lionel’s respect for and understanding of the deep, red Cambrian soil in which they grow their vines is evident the moment you arrive – not least because of the striking red-yellow ochre stone buildings that the duo designed and had built out of rocks from the paddocks, which is perhaps in part why Heathcote II exudes a down-to-earth, natural, ‘meant to be’ kind of feeling. Enjoy! x
Tell us a little bit about your place/s of origin/background/s – what path led you to where you are now?
Peder is from Denmark. He has worked in the wine retail sector for 5 years, is a qualified cheese maker, has made wine in California, Spain and France. He studied oenology at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. Lionel is from France (Paris) and has studied agronomy at the University of Paris.
Denmark, California, Spain, France. How did you end up in Heathcote?
We lived in Sydney back in 2003 and wanted to buy a rural property to start a vineyard. But we also needed to be close to a major city and airport, because of Lionel’s work. Heathcote was ideal and was starting to get a name back then so we looked for 6 months for the right property. We bought topographic and geologic maps, which we compared so we could see the soil structure of the property. One day, in Sydney, we bought The Age and there was a tiny ad with the Toolleen property for sale. We knew exactly where Toolleen was and Peder flew down to Melbourne on the Monday, rented a car, and drove up to see it. The following weekend we both came down to see the property and bought it. Also, Peder has always loved Shiraz (or Syrah) and that’s also why Heathcote was a choice.
Your label is lovely. How did the label ‘Heathcote II’ come about?
One of our good friends in Sydney was a managing director of a branding house in Sydney. We went through a branding process with a brand book etc. They came up with five labels, we chose one that they continued to work on, and the current label came out of that.
We all enjoy drinking beautiful wine! But what is it like to own a vineyard and run a cellar door?
It’s a great feeling owning a vineyard. It’s a lot of work but we get to plant the vines, see them grow, prune them and finally make wine from their grapes. It’s a great feeling to create something from the ground up! Running the cellar door gives us the satisfaction of dealing directly with our customers; explaining how we make the wine, taste, discuss and get the direct feedback.
Your vines are dry grown. What does that mean?
The vines are not irrigated and it means their roots have to seek deeper for water and go through different layers of soils with different mineral profiles. It also means we get a much lower yield and the result is a more concentrated flavour in the grapes, and in the end, in the wine. We cane prune to better control the yield.
How many vines do you have? Do you tend them yourselves? What does this involve?
We have about 13,000 vines, 13 acres, about 1000 vines per acre. Yes, we tend to them ourselves. It involves pruning, taking side shoots off the trunks in the spring, sometimes fruit thinning in spring or early summer. We also spray the vines with sulphur as they start shooting in spring. Often several times until harvest.
What characterises ‘Heathcote terroir’?
You would probably get as many answers as winemakers in Heathcote! But, for us, it is really about the deep red Cambrian soil that allows the vines to get water deep down as well the typical quite significant temperature swing between day and night in the summer that allows Heathcote fruit to maintain a good level of acidity. ‘Terroir’ is a French word, and in France it means something that includes; the specific place the vines grow, the type of soil, the exposition, the amount of sun and rain, temperature, wind. It is truly a unique thing to each vineyard site. Our terroir is not only a Heathcote Terroir, it is also a “Toolleen terroir” and even then a “Heathcote II terroir”, since we are one of the few west-facing vineyards in Toolleen. When you taste different wines from the Toolleen area (Mt Camel Area), you can taste something they have in common.
Your cellar door is beautiful. Who designed/built the wonderful stonework and rusted metal garden beds?
The stones are from our property. We have large piles of them in the paddock that the previous owners collected. We designed the buildings and the stonework was made by a stonemason from Bendigo. Peder came up with the idea for the rusted metal garden beds. He did the research and found a sheet metal company in Bendigo that made them. They are custom made to our drawings. The large ones are very heavy, they were delivered in three parts per planter and assembled on site.
Do you consider yourselves to be ‘Countryphile/s’? Do you love country life? Why?
I suppose we do, but we like (need?) a city fix too once in a while. We are both from the city, Lionel from Paris, France and Peder from Aalborg in Denmark. So, we go down to Melbourne once in a while, but I must say that when we drive back, once we get to Romsey, we feel like we are getting home and look forward to getting out of the hustle and bustle. There is nothing like a great sunset on the property or getting up early and seeing the amount of wildlife around. It is truly rewarding and a great way to end and start the days.
What does a typical day in the life of Peder& Lionel ‘Heathcote II’ owners looklike; from when you wake to when you go to sleep?
I am not sure we have a typical day! Every day seems a bit different, since the 2 of us tend to do everything ourselves on the property. In the Winter, though, a typical day consists of going out as soon as daylight is there, secateurs in hand and going to prune the vines basically until dark. If the wind is quiet, we may have a spray day here and there and a bit of gardening done as well. On week-ends, we tend the cellar door. We also have a few days where it is winery work only, with racking, washing barrels, tasting and so on. Or, we may be labelling some wine for export if it is raining. That is what we love about the life in the country, every day is different; one moment you are chasing the neighbour’s cows out of the vineyard and the next you are sitting at this fancy Melbourne restaurant for a wine dinner!
What aspect of country life are you loving MOST at the moment?
The quiet … and this great feeling that we have entered spring. It is the end of pruning (finally!) and there is that sensation that everything is just ready to burst for another season. All the promises are there at this time of year.
What do you consider the most CHALLENGING aspects of country life?
The multitasking I guess. Being somewhat isolated you have to rely on doing a lot of things yourselves. Last year Lionel taught himself how to fix our winery air conditioner! It is both rewarding and challenging, sometimes it can be overwhelming. Next would have to be naturally the weather. It takes time to learn to live with it rather than be upset by it when rain comes at the wrong time, where the wind is so constant you cannot fit the sprays at the right time and so on. You have to love the weather for what it is, unpredictable and in the end it is what makes it interesting!
When not drinking wine, do you prefer Coffee or Tea? Your favourite country café and why?
We are definitely coffee people. We really like the coffee at Cellar & Store in Heathcote. We like our coffee strong and they really make the perfect strong flat whites for us. We also know the staff well and it is always nice to catch up.
What and where was the last great meal you enjoyed/shared in the country?
Recently, one of the winemakers organised an Italian Wine Tasting and a dozen of us had dinner at the Willow Room in Heathcote. Since taking over last year Jodie and her partner have dramatically revamped the menu and we are always leaving the restaurant impressed by the quality of the produce, the imagination, the taste and presentation. Always a great meal and together with Italian wines and a great Nebbiolo from Jasper Hill, it was a great dinner.
Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?
Typically, we stay in our house in Heathcote on the week-end and so you will find us there having a slow breakfast, going to the Heathcote Farmers Market (if it happens to be the third Saturday of the month) where everyone comes together and then drive up to Toolleen to Open the cellar door around 11 am.
YOUR country town’s best kept secret?
Not sure there are still many secrets remaining, but maybe it is the energy of the community towards constantly improving visitors’ experiences. In the 10 years we have been around Heathcote, we are still impressed by that energy, whether it is Cellar & Store, the Willow Room, The 1-year-old Farmers Market and many others, there are so many passionate people around us.
What can we expect NEXT from you/Heathcote II in the future?
We are quite excited with our Grenache block. In 2009, we planted an acre of Grenache in the most stony place on our property. We are running them as bush vines and they are getting in their 4th year, we truly hope we can make a barrel of Grenache for Vintage 2014 (300 bottles).
What are you looking FORWARD to and why?
Spring I guess. Enough of the cold! Welcome the longer days, the garden while everything is still green.
What would be your dream project?
One day, we want to be able to build a larger home on the vineyard.
Can you list for us 5 specific things you turn to/do when you need of a ‘dose’ of city life?
1. Shopping in Melbourne Collins Street area
2. Breakfast in North Carlton or Fitzroy
3. Victoria Market
4. A short trip to Singapore
5. Dinner at a formal restaurant
Peder Rosdal & Lionel Flutto
Cellar Door
290 Cornella – Toolleen Road, Toolleen
Tel 03 5433 6292
Heathcote II Winery
