Notes from Yarra Valley: Coldstream Hills & Yering Station

These are brief tasting notes at the respective cellar doors of Coldstream Hills and Yering Station during a day trip to Yarra Valley, a region supposedly famed for its chardonnay and pinot noir just 50 km east of Melbourne, Australia, on 2 Dec 2013.

2010 Coldstream Hills sparkling pinot noir chardonnay. Lively green notes, crisp citrus, mildly yeasty, darker notes of pinot noir complementing well with chardonnay, attractive minerality, not too dry.

2012 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay. Lovely creaminess, buttery character, framed by graphite at the edges. Straightforward.

2012 Coldstream Hills Deer Farm single vineyard chardonnay, from a higher altitude. Noticeably deeper vein of minerality with balanced lively acidity.

2012 Coldstream Hills Rising Vineyard single vineyard chardonnay. More aromatic than the Deer Farm, more fat, fuller. Very attractive.

2011 Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay. Highly developed aromatics, displaying excellent depth and balance, stuffed with yellow citrus, very Burgundian. Excellent. We ordered a case to be shipped home.

2012 Coldstream Hills Deer Farm pinot noir. Bright red fruits, enamel, slightly savory but rustic at the edges. Lacks depth.

2012 Coldstream Hills reserve pinot noir. Darker in tone with a classic pinot character, very smooth but again missing in depth and complexity though lasting in finish.

2010 Coldstream Hills merlot. Aged in French oak. Big on the nose with plenty of spicy menthol, slightly medicinal, savory, peppered with occasional green notes.

2010 Yering Station estate chardonnay. Eucalyptus, cream, traces of green apples, pears. Rather simple.

2010 Yering Station estate pinot noir. Fairly deep aromatics, cherries, traces of redcurrants, earthy finish, lacks complexity.

2012 Yering Station Estate cabernet sauvignon. Saturated with redcurrants, chocolate, structured with well-integrated tannins peppered with mint, menthol, touch of earth.

2007 Yering Station Willow Lake chardonnay. Beautiful aromatics, lifted, dominated largely by stony minerality on palate, backward citrus, lemon, well-integrated but lacks layering. Better on the nose than palate.

2007 Yering Station Coombe Farm chardonnay. Lovely aromatics, peaches, cream, better integration of fruit and minerality though still lacking in layering.

2010 Yering Station reserve chardonnay. More intense, some creaminess and buttery characters, deeper vein of tropical fruit, very good weight, some early complexity, lasting finish. Quite classic. Quite excellent.

2012 Yering Station Reserve pinot noir. Strawberries, earth, some sancha, excellent teasing acidity, carries the right balance, delicate enough, lots of potential.

2010 Yering Station Reserve shiraz viognier. Deep and luscious with a lovely fragrance, full-bodied, fairly dense, proucing a spicy mouthfeel with plenty of ground pepper, wrapped in silky tannins. Very well crafted and tight, but more rustic in feel compared with an actual Rhone.

2010 Yering Station Old Beenak Road Reserve shiraz. Lifted redcurrants, blueberries, deep, plummy, early complexity, traces of tangerine, great delineation. Perhaps just slightly short. Lots of potential, though. I brought home a bottle.