Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.

In the 17th century, William Shakespeare unknowingly sparked the psychological debate of nature versus nurture. Some are born great – nature – while others rely largely on hard work – nurture. For the latter (no different to a tennis prodigy), it is a combination of the two in the guise of discipline and routine. Otherwise known as … slavic parenting. 

So, what portion of ourselves can be attributed to biology and how much to upbringing and life experience? The answer, which I am clearly unqualified to answer, has long been contested. Yet it does raise an interesting parallel – can the same be said of wine? Is it the vineyard (nature) or winemaker (nurture) that shapes the final product? 

There are no better two varieties to explore this than Riesling and Chardonnay – like the independent first born compared to the cosseted youngest. 

Speaking from experience, I know it all too well, my younger brother continues to receive ‘spring cleans’ that extend over Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

To test this hypothesis, a field study was conducted at Pewsey Vale and neighbouring Heggies Vineyard in the Eden Valley. With origins of the Pewsey site dating back to 1847, when the first vines were sent to Joseph Gilbert, we have literal grounds for ‘nature’s’ case. As far back as the 1850s, wine from an adjacent vineyard was awarded ‘the choicest wine’ and praised for ‘its delicacy and purity of flavour’ (The Australian Ark).

Today, more than one hundred and sixty years on, the wines from Pewsey Vale retain the same delicacy and purity – now with the bonus of organic certification and OH and S standards. Head winemaker, Louisa Rose, explains that “there is very little work that needs to be done by us, compared to many other vineyards in the region or around the world”. This showcase of first-born independence can be attributed to the synergy between site and varietal. 

The site is blessed with an almost perfect climate; warm days, cool nights, and a very low natural humidity resulting in little disease pressure, whilst the nearby Mount Crawford State Forrest, Heysen Trail and Kaeser Stuhl Conservation Park act as nature’s corridor for biodiversity. Revealed by Rose, “once you have the habitat, then the rest come” – and like Noah’s Ark – Pewsey Vale welcomes the furry and feathered, the creepy and crawly, and the microscopic.

It is these things we don’t see that play a role beyond the vineyard. The fruit that arrives to the winery is stamped with the site’s healthy, natural yeasts, which wash onto the juice and conduct fermentations, resulting in a more even, elegant, and complete-textured wine.

However, this does not mean that the Hill-Smith Estate’s Pewsey Vale team are exempt from the basics of good management! Here is where nurture makes its case. The vineyard is under constant observation, ensuring, as Louisa puts it, “that the natural balance is happy”. Much like a mother’s check-in phone call, there is care without coddling.  

The team prune annually, mulch the soils to retain water, and apply low impact fungicide maintenance when required. In times of heat management, a sunscreen made from a dilute solution of kaolin clay is sprayed onto the vines, reducing any heat stress. Again, like a mother, nurture ensures that nature is looked after. 

What Pewsey Vale has shown me is that, while nature can make wines great, it is nurture that makes them truly outstanding and still embody the ‘delicacy and purity of flavour‘ first celebrated over a century ago. 

Pewsey Vale 1961 Riesling 2023
From the oldest block on the site comes a fragrant plume of youth with lemon, jasmine, bath salts and menthol. There is a beautiful fragility to this wine; tightly coiled with cheekbone defining acidity. Flavours of lemon water, steely minerality and dainty herbal touches of thyme and lemon balm carry across the palate with a silk-like lightness. However do not be fooled by this delicacy as beneath the silken surface lies surprising structure. Tactile, refined, and refreshingly quaffable. 93pts

Pewsey Vale Contours Riesling 2013
Age brings with it a reverence – people stop and listen. The same is true of aged Riesling. Correction, good aged Riesling. And this is just that. It captivates your attention, speaking slowly and assuredly. A collection of limericks – smoked malt, marmalade, honeyed toast and oil skin. On the palate it flows without resistance, dense and supple. The flavours melt into one another; sage butter, brown lime and beeswax together vanishing into a sumptuous smoky finish. A treasure of time. 94pts

Chardonnay is no different—its character is shaped by the nurturing hand of the winemaker, and like parenting, offers an insight into their unique style of care. Just over the fence from Pewsey Vale lies Heggies Vineyard, a plot of land acquired through a transaction between friends in 1972. It became a canvas for the Hill-Smith family’s high-country vision. Today, head-winemaker Marc van Halderen brings that vision to life, showcasing three expressions of nurture through Chardonnay.

The Heggies Vineyard Cloudline Chardonnay 2024 could be described as the permissive style —warm and loving, yet free of strict boundaries. This is a wine given freedom to roam, wandering through flavours of lemonade icy poles, nectarine, and savoury thyme. It carries a gentle density from its lush fruit core yet never pools. Instead, it ripples along a slatey mineral line, catching bites of ginger and brushing against pithy edges. The finish is mouthwatering and dirty martini-esque, with a briny, herbal note that lingers like the cocktail’s green olive garnish. Innocuous, yet intriguing.  91pts.

The Heggies Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay 2022 is a display of supportive parenting, where firm expectations are balanced by independence and the ability to listen. This approach has resulted in a leaner style of Chardonnay, yet one brimming with expression and flamboyance. Aromatically and on the palate, the wine wavers between sweet and savoury – starting with peaches, crème brûlée, lemon curd, and nut brittle – before shifting to oyster shell, grit and sand clinging, miso and the smokiness of lapsang tea. There is an immediate richness, washed away by cleansing acidity and a moreish miso broth, the freeze-dried seaweed and mushroom subtly unravelling in the background. A wine of shifting silhouettes, and one that warrants another glass to fully understand.  93pts.

The Heggies Vineyard Estate Chardonnay 2023 takes a more “helicopter” approach, guided by the winemaker’s omnipresent hand, yet still allowing the fruit’s true expression to shine. There is an initial meekness as the wine finds its feet – but once it does, reveals a charming perfume of green apple, grapefruit, luscious macadamia, and candle wax. On the palate, flavours smoulder – passionfruit curd atop pillowy meringue, tangerine, dried marjoram, and the velvet sin of jersey caramel. For all its opulence, the wine retains a remarkable lightness, with each layer balanced upon the next. An added point for value – this is my pick of the trio.  93pts. 

Some wines are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them. The Hill-Smith team demonstrates that it is the nurturing of nature, both in the vineyard and winery, that shapes their wines into something extraordinary.