Coldstream Hills marks a milestone in style

Coldstream Hills, the Yarra Valley producer founded by wine guru James Halliday, is celebrating its 40th birthday.

Halliday has retired to Sydney and Coldstream Hills has long been part of Treasury Wine Estates, but it remains one of the Yarra's most celebrated wineries. 

Consistency is provided by former Seppelt winemaker Andrew Fleming, who has been chief winemaker since 2001. 

To mark 40 years, The Amphitheatre Experience will be held on November 15 and 16 at the Coldstream Hills cellar door. 

Hosted by wine raconteur George Samios and set overlooking the spectacular Amphitheatre Block - the first vineyard planted by Halliday in 1985 - the tasting will includes eight current and back-vintage wines, paired with an artisanal grazing platter.

The cost is $60 per person. Book Your Tasting. 

There will also be a 40th birthday wine dinner on Wednesday, November 19, at The George on Collins, Melbourne. 

Guests can join Fleming and Samios for a three-course menu matched with rare and current Coldstream Hills wines, plus behind-the-scenes tales of how it all began.

This costs $250 per person. Book your dinner ticket. 

There will also be back vintage tastings every weekend in November at the cellar door. 

Tasters can go into a draw to win a museum magnum selected by Fleming, and receive a bonus bottle of Beenak Pinot Noir with every six-bottle purchase. 

I'd recommend enjoying a glass of the award-winning 2018 Sparkling Pinot Noir Chardonnay, which I thoroughly enjoyed at a recent tasting. It is lemony and briochey with a very lively mousse. A serious bargain for $35. 

Also try to taste the restrained, elegant and minerally 2024 Beernak Chardonnay ($55), the soft and plush 2024 Deer Farm Vineyard Pinot Noir ($50) and the Coldstream Hills 2024 Reserve Chardonnay ($60), a wine of balance and intensity. 

   
Coldstream Hills Cellar Door, 29 Maddens Lane, Gruyere, Vic. https://www.coldstreamhills.com.au/

Fancy snapping up some wine from Halliday’s personal cellar?

Fancy sampling some bottles direct from Australian wine guru James Halliday's personal cellar.

The renowned Australian critic, author and commentator is selling the last of his impressive wine cellar through an online auction with fine wine destination Langtons.

The James Halliday's Private Collection online auction is now open on the Langtons website and closes at 9pm AEST on Sunday, May 25.

This final auction will see a 100 lots of Halliday’s personal passion - French producer Domaine Armand Rousseau - up for sale, with each bottle personally signed by the wine critic.

The collection includes a 1999 Clos des Ruchottes Monopole, Ruchottes-Chambertin, 1976 Clos de la Roche and 1990 Grand Cru Chambertin.

Halliday has confirmed this auction will be the last to clear out the final bottles in his cellar located in the Yarra Valley’s Coldstream Hills while he relocates to Sydney.

“Having long since sold the last of my DRCs, my Rousseaus are the best wines in my cellar, led - of course - by the Chambertins from top vintages. Clos de Beze is a worthy second, Clos de Jacques, the wine often offering outstanding value for money. Rousseau now fills the shoes left by the impossible-to-find DRCs,” says Halliday.

James Halliday AM is Australia’s most notable wine authority, with a career spanning over 30 years resulting in a cellar that is incomparable to any other in the country.

“James Halliday is undoubtedly the most important person in the Australian wine scene," says Michael Anderson, head of auctions and secondary market at Langtons.

Other highlights from the collection include va Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart Brut from the exceptional 1996 vintage; a 1997 Dr Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling-Spatlese; and a 1980 Domaine Clape.

Closer to home, Halliday’s collection also includes a House of Arras E.J Carr Late Disgorged Methode Traditionelle 2000 Magnum from Tasmania; 1997 Bindi Block 5 Pinot Noir from the Macedon Ranges; and 1992 vintage Charles Melton Nine Popes Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre from the Barossa Valley.

Each bottle will come complete with a collectable sticker outlining its provenance. 

See https://www.langtons.com.au/james-halliday-private-collection.html

James Halliday announces his retirement

James Halliday AM, Australia's most influential and longest-serving wine writer, today announced his retirement.

Just a month after giving up his weekly column in The Australian newspaper, Halliday issued a statement saying that he will be stepping back from his wine writing and tasting commitments.

"As James steps into this new chapter, he will be using this time to compile a lifetime of wine memories – a project that we look forward to sharing," Wine Companion magazine announced.

"His contribution to the Australian wine landscape is unparalleled, and we would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge his monumental career."

.A co-founder of Brokenwood in the Hunter Valley and founder of Coldstream Hills in the Yarra Valley, Halliday is recognised as having been a major figure in the Australian wine industry for over four decades.

He worked as an author, critic, wine judge and business owner - and his ratings could make or break a wine producer.

“Late last year I made the decision that I was going to seriously cut back on my work commitments,” he said in a statement.

“Having turned 85 I wanted to fully focus on what I want to do, and that is writing about 50 years of great wine dinners I’ve attended or staged.

“This work has no deadline, has no space constraints, and is something that has been simmering in my mind and heart for the past half-decade as my ‘swansong’.

“Recent health issues have made me wish even more for this to have my sole attention.

“So, while my fondness for writing is undiminished, and with my family’s support, I will be quiet on the wine media front until I can share the birth of my last child.”

Halliday wrote his last column for The Weekend Australian on April 6, handing over to Nick Ryan and founded the Halliday Wine Magazine. His annual Halliday Wine Companion is the bible of the Australian wine industry.