There's Gold In Them Hills

The Age

Saturday April 21, 2007

Jane Faulkner

"Chardonnay is the ultimate promiscuous wine," declares James Halliday, adding that Australia's most widely planted white grows just about anywhere, alongside any other variety. "It's not at all fussy of the company it keeps." And with Halliday's cheeky opening thus began a recent two-day global tasting of chardonnay, and pinot noir, at Coldstream Hills in the Yarra Valley.

Halliday and his wife Suzanne started Coldstream Hills in 1985 and set about creating a winery that boasts cool climate, fine chardonnay and pinot noir with a smattering of shiraz, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc. Today, the winery is part of the Fosters Group empire but Halliday, a full-time wine writer and judge, remains a Coldstream Hills ambassador.

The task of ensuring this respected winery continues to make refined wines - the 2005 reserve chardonnay and point noir are arguably the best to date - is up to winemaker Andrew Fleming.

Of the chardonnay, Fleming says it's a wonderful wine, the result of vine age, attention to detail in the vineyard, utilising more clones and always picking on flavour rather than ripeness. In the winery, it's about keeping the best parcels of fruit in separate barrels and using fine toasted and grained oak as a textural element, not as a dominating character.

Significantly, he adds: "I'm not a big fan of malo (malolactic fermentation). It doesn't make sense to have all these attractive fruit characters and attractive (natural) acidity to then go and change it all with malo." Instead, he builds layers of flavour into the wine through thoughtful use of oak and solids. It's all about the balance and freshness of the wine. While the core and reserve wines continue to excel (see tasting notes below), Fleming is excited about Coldstream Hills' new premium label, Amphitheatre, named after the shape of the vineyard where the best fruit grows, which will be released in August. While he intends making chardonnay under this label, only the 2006 pinot noir will make its debut - albeit three barrels, or 69 dozen bottles.

Like the reserve wines, Amphitheatre will only be made if it makes the grade and he's adamant that it is not a finer example of a reserve, it is a different wine.

So what's the '06 like? "Oh, it's wonderful!" says Fleming, describing it as being full of cherries and plums, some gamey, stalky notes, beautifully integrated, complex with great structure, a seamless palate and fine persistent tannins. "The wine is looking pretty smart. We bottled it two weeks ago and there was a lot of love in the winery on that day."

In a sense, Fleming is continuing a Coldstream Hills tradition. The wines must express purity of Yarra Valley fruit, be elegant, balanced and, since all are under screwcap, age well. Much like the original owner. -- JANE FAULKNER

COLDSTREAM HILLS CHARDONNAY 2006 $28

This is Coldstream Hills core or entry-level chardonnay meant for drinking now. Well, not a drop remained in the bottle after the tasting. It's a cracker of a wine (so too the '06 pinot) with its citrus and stone fruit nose, a touch of oak with vibrant fruit on the palate. Deliciously minerally with good acidity and palate weight too. Great stuff.

COLDSTREAM HILLS RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2005 $45

A lusciously rich wine of ripe pear and citrus held together by layers of creamy vanillin French oak and nutty leesy notes that follow through on the palate matched with great acidity and freshness. Just keeps building in complexity but absolutely elegant and refined. Superbly balanced. One to cellar, otherwise decant; the wine will be better for it.

COLDSTREAM HILLS RESERVE PINOT NOIR 2005 $50

A fabulous pinot noir with its heady aroma of red and black berry fruits melded with earthy notes, all truffles and damp forest floor, spiked with an attractive dried herb note, savoury nuances, too. Wonderful silky tannins, tangy pinot astringency and excellent length.

© 2007 The Age

Back to News Index | Back to Home