Winery & Vintage Info
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. Situated in the picturesque Yarra Valley east of Melbourne, the steep, close-planted vineyards of Coldstream Hills have become a signature of the region. So too have its wines, which reflect regional character, consistency, and style.
Sourced from hillside sloping vineyards in the Upper and Lower Yarra Valley, the grapes are pressed using gentle handling techniques. Coldstream Hills Chardonnay is barrel fermented and matured in French oak barrels for up to nine months prior to blending and bottling. The Upper Yarra Chardonnay generally provides attractive citrus characters, with mineral slate notes and length; the Lower Yarra is often fleshier in style with attractive white peach and quince characters. Blending of parcels from both regions results in wines of complexity, varietal definition, and length.
A cold wet start to the growing season proved challenging in the vineyards with fruit set and ultimately yields lower than average. Summer began with high humidity, but during the ripening period became stable and dry. The onset of flavour development occurred relatively rapidly with fine acidity retained across all varieties.
Fermented and matured on lees for eight months in seasoned and new (27%) French oak barriques, puncheons and vat.
