News

WINESTATE'S Best Wines of 2011

Ross Hill Pinnacle Series Shiraz 2009 - 5 stars
Reeks of raspberries and has subtle oaky notes. Very rich and long shiraz fruit flavours that finish firm and tannic with heat from the alcohol. Age needed but you can drink now and enjoy.

Ross Hill Pinnacle Series Cabernet Franc 2009 - 4 1/2 stars
Excellent varietal expression on the nose; lifted raspberries with minty/eucalypt touches. Much the same happening on a palate with great length of drying tannins. Good cellaring potential.

Ross Hill Pinnacle Series Chardonnay 2010 - 4 stars
Lovely big, buttery chardonnay with well-defined melon/oak aromas and great varietal fruit flavours seamlessly balanced with acid and wood.

Wine Making

December 2011
At the end of 2010 we wrote about the imminent release of our first Pinnacle Series wines and some others we were sure would make their mark on the Australian wine scene.

Well...!! With wide distribution of the wines in 2011, the response was relentless in its praise across all varieties, garnering the coveted 5 Star rating from James Halliday, plenty of 94+ point and five star reviews and culminated, at least for this year, in a sweep of 4 Trophies in the Orange Region Wine Show including Best Wine of Show for the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon.

We were sure we could make wines of distinction in Orange, all things in wine take time, and our quiet optimism has now given way to great pride.

One of our greatest rewards is often seeing expressions of delight when we present our wines to wine lovers, both here at the winery and further afield. Many are searching for great wine from Orange, as we are.

The 2010 Pinnacle reds are due to be bottled and are worthy successors to the impressive 2009’s.
Look for silky textured wines of quiet concentration and harmonious complexity. The 2011 Pinnacle Sauvignon Blanc, bottled in September will set a new benchmark for the variety. The 2010 Pinnacle Chardonnay is a monumentally complete wine which, for those with patience, will repay 5 years of cellaring with a truly unforgettable tasting experience.

While our journey is just beginning, we thank all who joined us here at the very start and look forward to traveling the long and fruitful road ahead with many more New Wines of Orange.

Phil & Rochelle Kerney, Wine makers

Vintage Report

December 2011
It looks like we are set for another wet year. So it's either too hot, too wet or too dry!! Ok let's get on with it, use our brains, be smart and get it together.

Everything looks great. Like most things in life, controlling a difficult year is all in the timing and a bit of luck. The big November rains came at flowering at the old Ross Hill vineyard, so we must watch carefully for Downey Mildew infection. Otherwise the vines look healthy with lots of good growth.

The new vineyard at Wallace Lane looks great, no flowering yet at 1,100 metres. In fact it is more like winter and the South Island of New Zealand up here. We will get substantial fruit from this new vineyard this vintage - Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc.

For every 100 metres in elevation there is a delay of a week in ripening and fruit maturity. The Wallace Lane vineyard is looking good. Ross Hill at 800m will have to be more carefully handled as up to the end of October we have had 600ml of rain. In November, 100ml so far and the forecast is for more, lots more.

After the long drought it is great to have good soil moisture profiles which are much more typical of Orange. We have had to revisit our skill base learned prior to the last 10 years of drought.

To this end most of the Orange Vignerons met a few months ago and went through how we handled each variety in 2011. Many issues such as foliage control were discussed but the most important issues agreed by all was control of Powdery Mildew - our greatest enemy. The consensus was to move away from systemic chemicals to the well tried natural product - sulphur.

The pundits ie. the wine writers, say that the trendy Sauvignon Blanc has lost the plot. However Ross Hill is selling well and I think the Wallace Lane Sauvignon Blanc will be exceptional.

Peter Robson

Long Lunches

As usual we're rapidly locking in some special guest chef appearances for this years line up of Ross Hill Wines signature Long Lunches the first of these is during F.O.O.D Week 2012 with Robert Marchetti of Bondi Icebergs and the newly opened Neild Avenue restaurants.

Join iconic Sydney Italian Chef and restaurateur Robert Marchetti, for a four course Italian long lunch matched with cool climate wines from Ross Hill.

Ross Hill Winery, 134 Wallace Lane (via Pinnacle Road), Orange
When: Saturday 21st April @ 12.30pm
Cost: $150 per person
Bookings Essential: Call us on 02 6365 3223 or click here to book online and receive a $10 discount.