CURRENT RELEASES & REVIEWS

2008 vintage wines - scores and tasting notes

James Halliday 2011 Wine Companion - Five 5 Star red winery rating "Established 1970 - The Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grown on the property have always been of the highest quality and, when Coldstream Hills was in its infancy, were particularly important resources for it."

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon - 96 points

2008 Premium Pinot Noir - 96 points

2008 Premium and Estate Chardonnay's - 94 points

Reviews in detail below, together with ratings of all wines ever produced by Hillcrest.

2008 Estate Chardonnay

94 points, James Halliday, Wine Companion 2011

Bright green-straw; a delicious, albeit understated, chardonnay, French oak gently woven through the white peach and melon fruit of the bouquet and palate, and supported by perfect acidity.

93 points, Gary Walsh, Winefront

As per usual, tasted next to the Premium from the same vintage.  Lemon oil, citrus and nectarine with lightly spicy creamy oak and seemingly a little volatile - but no problem for me. It has excellent flavour with a light glaze of honey nougat, crisp clean acidity and good length - touch of flint on exit. Not particularly complex (yet) but also not over-made like so many. It’s fluid and very good to drink and certainly less austere than previous vintages.

2008 Premium Chardonnay

94 points, James Halliday, Wine Companion 2011

Developed green-gold; a touch of grilled nuts ex-barrel fermentation on the bouquet, the palate still tight, fresh and long; white peach and a little grapefruit; long finish.

94 points, Gary Walsh, Winefront

Not unsurprisingly, a very similar tasting note to the Estate wine, although this has more power, a little more intensity and an extra scoop of oak. I opened and tasted these wines two days ago and came back to complete the job today - not much movement at the station. Lemon oil, citrus and nectarine, wheat and spicy creamy oak - seemingly a little volatile but no problem for me. It has excellent flavour with a light glaze of honey nougat, crisp strong acidity and very good length - touch of flint on exit.  It’s built on fruit power, acidity and quality oak rather than winemaker artefact. More generous and well rounded than the 2006 and certainly more approachable, although it should age pretty well too.

2008 Village Pinot Noir

90 points, James Halliday, Wine Companion 2011

Bright and clear, paradoxically the best hue of the three Hillcrest Pinots; a mix of savoury and red fruit aromas, the palate very much in the savoury/foresty spectrum.

91 points, Gary Walsh, Winefront

It’s full of cherry and strawberry with a touch of spice and has a lovely creamy aspect on both the nose and palate. It’s a juicy and supple sort of wine, offering high pleasure in the drinking department, rather than Hillcrest’s usual more acidic ascetic acerbic characteristics. There’s a touch of sappiness on the finish to pull it straight, but gee, I really like drinking this wine. At twenty dollars it represents fabulous value. Genuine Pinot of charm and character.

2008 Estate Pinot Noir

94 points, James Halliday, Wine Companion 2011

Bright, clear red; the bouquet is complex, with a core of black cherry fruit, the palate fine and long, fruit and forest equally balanced.

92 points, Gary Walsh, Winefront

I’ve had this bottle open since Saturday and right about now (Monday night) it's really showing its charms, whereas the Premium from the same vintage is looking more sullen - seems to have gone backwards.  Luckily I'm just a simple Cabernet man so rarely need concern myself with such weighty and confusing matters ... Little bit of VA lift here and plenty of red fruits - mainly raspberry and cherry with spice and some forest floor, oak of cedary nature neatly tucked in.  Medium bodied, quite juicy with light by deceptively grippy tannin and clean acidity - almost feels a little alkaline (although I'm betting the specs make a liar of me).  Excellent flow and length with a suggestion of poached strawberry on the aftertaste.  Should cellar well.


2008 Premium Pinot Noir

96 points, James Halliday, Wine Companion 2011

Bright and clear, despite no fining or filtration; and extremely pure and fine wine, the bouquest addings a touch of plum that coms through on the precise and very long palate. Three fascinating pinots (from Hillcrest in 2008)

93+ points, Gary walsh, Winefront

Tasted alongside the Estate over a couple of days, just to make sure those doing the barrel selection have got it right this year. Maybe. Maybe. The lovely JP tells me the Premium has more depth, smoothness and “Pinosity” over the Estate. And who am I to argue? Has more depth and earthiness than the Estate offering - certainly has more spicy cinnamon oak laid on too. The fruit is a little darker, edging into the dark cherry spectrum although it’s still largely red fruited. Medium bodied, smooth and pliant  - spinning a web of fine tannin as it moves along. The acidity seems better too and the finish a little more sustained. A richer fuller wine with a dab of smokiness on exit. Plenty of potential I suspect.


2008 Reserve Merlot

93 points, James Halliday, Wine Companion 2011

Dense purple-crimson; a very interesting merlot, with a scented bouquet of spice and fruit compote, then a palate that rapidly changs pace with its filigreed texture and structure and texture, and hints of mint and leaf.

96 points, Gary Walsh, Winorama

Perfumed and packed with mixed fruits of the forest (and specifically boysenberry/blueberry/blackberry) with plenty of vanilla/cedar oak and tobacco. It’s medium to full bodied with a latent earthiness masked by bright sweet berry fruit. Some dried herb in the mix too. It has plenty of tannin, freshness, length i.e. the whole package. It’s obviously a very young wine and it was on the third day that it showed its hand - the points ticking upwards each day. Not to be damned with faint praise, I consider this a highwater mark for Australian Merlot.


2008 Premium Cabernet Sauvignon

96 points, James Halliday, Wine Companion 2011

Dense purple-crimson; a full bodied wine, with tremendous depth to the blackcurrant fruit and exceptional savoury yet fine and ripe tannins; oak also plays a role of some importance.

95 points, Gary Walsh, Winefront

No 2007 releases for Hillcrest (it is all being kept for museum stock) so we’ve skipped forward a vintage. These are cellaring styles, sold to people who understand the need to cellar, so no big deal…but it makes my job just that little bit harder tasting them a year younger. Inconsiderate bastards. Superb Imperial purple colour, you might call it a robe even. There’s a fair amount of cedar/French vanilla oak showing as a young wine but the fruit is fully up to the task at hand. It’s just above medium bodied, although it packs plenty of punch for its size, and has particularly lovely tannin - rich and firm but also ripe and loose knit that should stand it in good stead as it ages. The flavours are typical Cabernet - blackcurrant, glimpses of red fruit and a slight earthiness with some tobacco lurking in the background - and of course the liberal oak seasoning is there too, but that will settle. It’s fresh with no obvious pinging acidity - the Achilles heel of many a good red. This is not a wine for now, and the score is largely for later (as best as I can predict).


2007 vintage lost to frost - As many of you will be aware, Hillcrest lost its entire crop in 2007 due to a savage late spring frost. Consequently, no wines were released.


RATINGS - Previous Releases - a stunning record of ratings from James Halliday and the Winefront team of Gary Walsh and Campbell Mattinson

2006 Pinot Noir - Reserve

95 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront, 95 POINTS - James Halliday, 2009 Wine Companion

2006 Pinot Noir - Premium

94 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront, 94 POINTS - James Halliday, 2009 Wine Companion

2006 Pinot Noir - Estate

93+ POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront, 94 POINTS - James Halliday, 2009 Wine Companion

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - Premium

95 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront, 94 POINTS - James Halliday, 2009 Wine Companion

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - Estate

94 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winorama, 94 POINTS - James Halliday, 2009 Wine Companion

2006 Chardonnay - Premium

96 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront, 96 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson, Winefront, 90 POINTS - James Halliday, 2009 Wine Companion   

2006 Chardonnay - Estate

94 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson, Winefront, 89 POINTS - James Halliday, 2009 Wine Companion

2006 Village Merlot

94 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront, 90 POINTS - James Halliday, 2009 Wine Companion

2005 Village Pinot Noir Rose

94 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront

2005 Chardonnay - Premium

96 POINTS - James Halliday, 2008 Wine Companion - "The epitome of Yarra Valley chardonnay", 96 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront

2005 Pinot Noir - Premium

***Selected for Qantas International First Class!!!

96 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront, 95 POINTS - James Halliday, 2008 Wine Companion

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon - Premium

97 POINTS - Gary Wash, Winefront, 95 POINTS - James Halliday, 2008 Wine Companion, 96 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson, Winefront

2005 Pinot Noir - Estate

94 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront, 94 POINTS - James Halliday, 2008 Wine Companion

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon - Estate

94 POINTS - Gary Wash, Winefront, 89 POINTS - James Halliday, 2008 Wine Companion, 89 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson, Winefront

2004 Pinot Noir - Premium

***Selected for Qantas international First Class!!!

96 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson, Winefront, 95+ POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront, 94 POINTS - James Halliday, 2007 Wine Companion

2004 Pinot Noir - Estate

92 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront, 92 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson, Winefront, 89 POINTS - James Halliday, 2007 Wine Companion

2004 Chardonnay - Estate

93 POINTS - Gary Walsh, Winefront, 90 POINTS - James Halliday, 2007 Companion

2003 Pinot Noir - Estate

94 POINTS - James Halliday, 2006 Wine Companion, 93 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson, Winefront

2003 Chardonnay - Estate

94 POINTS - James Halliday, 2006 Wine Companion, 92 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson, Winefront

2002 Chardonnay - Estate

93 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson, Winefront