Iconic 'Duck Muck' producer releases 15 new wines from the 2019, '23, '24 and '25 vintages

The first two or so decades after David “Duck” Anderson and his wife Diana planted vines in Heathcote was a time of relative obscurity for Wild Duck Creek Estate. But everything changed at the turn of the millennium, when the influential American wine critic Robert Parker gave the 1997 vintage of its now-iconic shiraz cabernet blend, Duck Muck, a staggering 99 points.

Parker described the ’97 Duck Muck as “a surreal, other-worldly shiraz that needs to be sipped rather than gulped given its power and intensity”, and for a long time, these big, powerful styles of red were what Wild Duck Creek Estate was known for. But while “we certainly still do make a couple of our wines in that style,” says Duck and Diana’s son Liam, who took over the winemaking in 2010, the range is a lot more balanced. 

Duck and Liam Anderson.

“More than anything, we make wines on flavour and instinct,” he adds. “We still make robust wines, big-flavoured wines, big-textured wines, but we’re not necessarily chasing ripeness. We’re chasing balance.”

Up to 20 wines are produced each year (“I get a bit overexcited about different things”) and while shiraz, cabernet and malbec still dominate, red and white Rhône varieties including mourvèdre, grenache, grenache blanc, marsanne and roussanne, as well as riesling, all feature. 

“We try and be as patient as possible with our vineyards, and as holistic as possible with our viticulture,” Liam says. “We don't try and push the envelope. We make wines that the season wants us to make, and that our customers expect from us.” 

Wild Duck Creek Estate, Heathcote.

There are 15 wines in this year’s release: one from the 2019 vintage, seven from the “challenging but rewarding” 2023 vintage, four from ’24, and three from ’25. Among them is the 2023 Duck Muck, the 13th release of this wine since it was accidentally made in ’94, and the flagship 2023 Springflat Shiraz. A 16th wine, the Black Duck Shiraz, was released exclusively to members (affectionately called Puddlers).

It’s also worth highlighting the 2019 Original Vineyard Shiraz, which comes with a $625 price tag. It’s an expensive wine to make, and just 300 bottles are produced, which alone justifies the price. But “I also wanted to prick people’s ears,” says Liam. 

“We want to further Heathcote as much as we possibly can,” he adds. “I think having a wine that is as expensive as equivalent wines from other regions is really important, both to get people talking and to show that we can make this stuff, too.”

See how Jeni Port scored the latest releases from Wild Duck Creek Estate below.

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