Coldstream Hills Releases Arrive From Australia's Yarra Valley

In wine circles, probably the most famous name in Australia is James Halliday. He has written more than 40 books on wine, the most recent of which is the impressive "Wine Atlas of Australia and New Zealand," as well as several thousand newspaper and magazine articles.

On my first trip to Australia, one of the first things I did was acquire his guide to wines of that country, which served me well.

But it doesn't stop there. In Australia, it is rather common to mix careers in wine. One could write about wine, sell it and even make it all at the same time. Consequently, Halliday and his wife, Suzanne, established a winery in 1985 called Coldstream Hills in the beautiful Yarra Valley, about an hour's drive east of Melbourne. Did I also mention that Halliday is an attorney?

Yarra is a cool, hilly region and one suited best for pinot noir and chardonnay. The wines were handmade and only in small batches. Early on, Halliday visited Seattle and we ended up on the deck of my houseboat on Lake Union sipping his latest releases.

The wines were not even available in the U.S. yet, so I never wrote about them. But I certainly didn't forget them. They were some of the most impressive wines I'd tasted from Down Under. It was as though Halliday, after years of observing the wine industry, knew exactly what to do.

Today, I'm happy to report, the wines of Coldstream Hills are available. Halliday made another visit to Seattle recently and I sat down with him over lunch to update myself on the latest.

Coldstream Hills is now under the ownership of the large and important Southcorp Wine Group but Halliday has remained involved and, in fact, his home is on the property so he can personally oversee the steep-sloped, beautiful vineyards.

Across the board, the wines are aromatic and flavorful with a textured, silky quality that reminds me more of Burgundy than any other region. Although a sauvignon blanc is now made, the chardonnays and pinot noirs continue to take the prize and reflect the ideal cool growing conditions of Yarra.

Here are the wines now on our market:

Coldstream Hills 1996 Chardonnay, $17: Generally, the chardonnays are barrel fermented, aged on the lees (yeast sediment) and bottled after six to nine months in oak. The result is a wine of rich tropical notes, very textured and complex. It's a wine full-bodied enough for grilled salmon or even light meat dishes.

Coldstream Hills 1998 Sauvignon Blanc, $17: It was a dry, hot year there which has coaxed good varietal flavors out of this sauvignon blanc. It has suggestions of green herbs with some olive and mineral nuances. There's also some tropical notes which add interest to this well-made white.

Coldstream Hills 1997 and 1998 Pinot Noir, $19: There are two vintages available of the pinot noir (an unusual situation) and both are quite different. The younger is very balanced, clean on the plate with a plummy, lingering taste. Quite soft and very drinkable right now. In the '97, you'll note darker, more intense flavors and richness. Take your choice.

Briarstone 1995, $19: While the chardonnay and the pinot noirs lean toward Burgundy in style, this blend is definitely Bordeaux. A mix of 90 percent cabernet sauvignon, and the rest merlot and cabernet franc, it is a wine of huge structure with hints of red currant and cedar. A very impressive wine.

Coldstream Hills also has a reserve pinot noir and chardonnay (hovering in the $30 category) that are worth seeking out for their deeply intense styles. Tip of the week

Want to experience the phenomenon of the Tuscany sangiovese and a super Tuscan wine without spending an arm and a leg? The 1997 Fonte al Sole from Ruffino (subtitled Sangiovese di Toscana) is a great value at about $9. It has bright cherry fruit and a full, robust character.

A good example from one of Tuscany's great vintages.

Wine by Tom Stockley appears Wednesday in the Food section of The Seattle Times.