Coldstream Hills was established in 1985 by James and Suzanne Halliday and has since grown to become one of Australia's leading and most awarded small wineries.
A triumphant return for our Reserve Pinot Noir – this release has been well worth the wait. Handpicked fruit from estate blocks, including the low yielding Amphitheatre A Block, planted in 1985. Dark cherry and plum notes enhanced by subtle French oak and chalky, persistent tannins. A lingering finish and delicate balance round out this Reserve release and a long future seems assured.
Varietal | Pinot Noir |
---|---|
Vintage | 2019 |
Country | Australia |
Region | Yarra Valley |
Volume | 750 mL |
Closure | Screw Cap |
Alc/Vol | 13.5% |
Peak Drinking | Now - 2031 |
Winemaker | Andrew Fleming |
97 points | Campbell Mattinson |
Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion
"The best vintages combine power and structure and this is one of them. It presents a unified front of complex flavour but saves its best for the finish, which fans out and emphasises its quality in the most convincing of ways. A 'wow' wine."
Perfumed and ethereal, vibrant characters of dark cherry and strawberry are further enhanced with savoury whole bunch spice, earthy minerality and finely balanced French oak..
Medium-bodied in style, the palate is supple and layered yet finishes with characteristically chalky fine-grained tannins. Attractive dark cherry notes are interwoven with seamless French oak, graphite-like mineral and whole bunch spice. Precise and detailed, the wine displays the hallmarks of the Estate Vineyard and will dutifully reward cellaring.
Cooler than Bordeaux yet warmer than Burgundy, picturesque Yarra Valley is one of Australia's foremost cool-climate wine regions. An easy one-hour’s drive from Melbourne, the area is home to more than 80 cellar doors. In addition to the huge range of wineries, the area boasts superb contemporary restaurants, authentic rustic farms - and luxury overnight accommodation if the sightseeing gets too much! The fertile Yarra Valley soils produce famously elegant and textured Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Vintage Conditions
A mild Spring, followed by a warm and very dry ripening period led to a heightened onset of vintage. Despite a compressed harvest period, Pinot Noir held up well producing wines of flavour, texture and depth.
Growing up in wine country Mildura, at just 13 years of age, Andrew attempted to make his own wine; the end result was undrinkable, his father’s shed a shambles, but the winemaking seed was sown.
After completing a Bachelor of Agriculture at the University of Melbourne, Andrew spent two years at Mildara in Coonawarra before heading to Bordeaux where he furthered his winemaking qualifications with a Diplome National d’Oenologue from the University of Bordeaux. Since then he’s completed vintages at the iconic Chateau Haut Brion in Bordeaux, several vintages in Languedoc, in addition to completing a vintage at Matanzas Creek winery in California’s Sonoma Valley. For six years Andrew was a Winemaker at Lindeman’s Karadoc winery and in 1996, became the Winery Manager of Seppelt in Great Western; providing the perfect segue for his current role as Chief Winemaker Coldstream Hills which he has held since 2001.