Three top Coldstream Hills wines to try
Purity and clarity are watchwords for this beautiful young chardonnay, with typical Yarra Valley length.
I haven’t hitherto written a column for this magazine – or any other publication – on Coldstream Hills and its wines because of the obvious conflict of interest arising from my background as CEO of Coldstream Hills from 1985 to 1996, when a public takeover bid by Southcorp succeeded and I became a paid consultant, an arrangement that continues to this day. My love of Coldstream Hills and its wines hasn’t changed one iota as my ownership declined from 100% to 51%, 30% and ultimately zero and my role as hands-on winemaker gradually diminished from sole (1985-’87) to nil today. So, yes, I’m hopelessly biased.
Now, in my 84th year, I am happier than ever with Coldstream Hills, a situation that will, I am sure, remain until my ashes are sprinkled over the House Block. You see, a winemaking team led by the quietly spoken and highly talented Andrew Fleming has been in place since 2001 (with Greg Jarratt at his side), making beautiful Yarra Valley wines. They have now taken full advantage of the glorious 2021 vintage, and as well as making a full range of Reserve, Single Vineyard and regional (Yarra Valley) wines, they have produced two exquisite single block pinot noirs from the Deer Farm Vineyard.
Back in ’94-’95, as CEO, I engineered the raising of the funds to buy and plant the 29ha Deer Farm and 24ha Gladysdale vineyard (both in the Upper Yarra Valley). Deer Farm has regularly produced the best single vineyard wines each year and is the jewel in the Coldstream crown. Now all my Coldstream Christmases have come at once. Treasury Wine Estates, Coldstream Hills’ owner, has paid $7 million for the 62ha Upper Yarra Beenak Vineyard (50ha planted). It will double the size of Coldstream’s Upper Yarra vineyards, all with mature vines, and means that it can broaden its access to the domestic market and have enough wine for a serious export effort.
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