Heggies could be called viticultural "struggle country". The winters are cold and wet, summers mild but very dry and the soils are thin and gravelly on well drained slopes. This gives low yields but consistently produces grapes of outstanding flavour intensity. There are seven different selections of Chardonnay at Heggies Vineyard with three favoured French Bernard variants comprising the majority of this wine. The vines are shy bearing, giving grapes of intense flavour. Hand picking and gentle whole bunch pressing minimises the extraction of tannins and preserves natural fruit aromas.

The growing season opened well with regular rains. Dry conditions then prevailed in late 2008, which enabled good set of Chardonnay grapes but brought concerns as to whether there would be adequate water to carry the fruit through to harvest. Fortunately a couple of strategically timed rainfalls topped up the soils and freshened the vines. A mid-summer heatwave did not affect Heggies Vineyard and conditions were mild and favourable for the rest of the season. Harvest proceeded well and the blocks were picked at their most balanced flavour, acidity and ripeness.