Moortangi Estate

Paul and Pamela Hyland purchased a beautiful grazing property at Dixons Creek already christened ‘Moortangi'. They planted the north-facing paddocks with shiraz (4ha), cabernet sauvignon (0.9ha), merlot (0.5ha) and viognier (0.35ha), and while waiting for the vines to mature purchased shiraz from Heathcote for their first vintage. They have continued to make the Old Vine Heathcote Shiraz from vines planted in the 1950s in grey loam soils, the Cambrian Shiraz from red soils. By 2009 the vines were flourishing and they anticipated their first vintage but the Black Saturday bushfires devastated the property, destroying the majority of their vines. In '10 they saw shoots on their main planting of shiraz and they have since laboriously resurrected the vineyard on a vine-by-vine basis and now oversee what they regard as an exceptional vineyard. They say their love of wine brought them to this place; it has been sorely tested, but ultimately fulfilled. -JAMES HALLIDAY