Yerong Creek Estate's history
1996
The first vines were planted in August 1996. Unfortunately the
vineyard suffered a setback on 21 December 1997 , when a bush fire
devastated the vineyard destroying 90% of the vines, drip watering
system and wooden posts.
With the help of family and friends a new drip watering system
was quickly erected to water the vines and start again.
The vines have been tenderly trained, pruned and harvested. In
February 2000 the first small harvest of 1/2 ton Chardonnay and
1 ton of Shiraz was harvested by hand at perfection.
These grapes were from the vines that survived the devastation
of fire. With the aid of Paul Robey from Walla Walla as winemaker,
the family assisted in the wine making process down to bottling
and labelling.
Very few chemicals have been used in the vineyard, only sulphur
and copper to control powdery mildew.
The Cofield family was employed in 2001 as Yerong Creek Estate's
contract winemaker.
Our first big vintage was 2001 when approx. 10 tons of chardonnay
and shiraz were harvested.
2002
2002 was another big vintage but not as plentiful due to less rain.
Our chardonnay harvest was divided into two as was 2001. Half of
the harvest was fermented in stainless steel tanks to produce the
very popular fruity Alice Lillian (for the lovers of a "not
so dry" wine) and the other half fermented in French oak to
create a typical dry chardonnay with its natural acidity and oak
flavours.
The 2002 Shiraz was hand picked at 13.2% beaume and fermented in
American hogsheads, resulting in a medium bodied wine full of rich
berry characters with subtle oak flavours.
2003
2003 was "the worst drought in 100 years" but produced
two excellent wines. The grapes were small and sweet with concentrated
flavours. "Sweet Katharina 2003 won a bronze medal at the 2004
Cowra Wine Show and sold out quickly.
Syrah 2003 is a vibrant rich ruby red full bodied wine with ripe
fruit characters. It has a beaume of almost 16% and is popular with
those who love a "big red" with a long texture and satisfying
finish.
2004
2004 was another dry year and a decision was made not to harvest
any chardonnay that year. The 2004 shiraz harvest was divided into
two. We decided to make our first fortified wine "Spirit of
Yerong". This proved a "winner" as it was judged
the Best Fortified Wine at the Winewise 2005 Small Vignerons Awards.
The judges said they were "impressed with it's intensity, freshness
and fortifying spirit." This same wine also won a silver medal
at the recent 2005 Cowra Wine Show with 51 points out of 60. We
are delighted with these results.
The remaining half of this vintage is still fermenting in American
hogsheads and should be another excellent vintage.
2005
In 2005 we decided to make only the fruity styles of wine.
Alice Lillian 2005 is another fruity wine for the lover of a "not
so dry" style. Sweet Katharina 2005 is also fruity but sweeter.
Our 2005 vintage was divided into two. Our sweeter styles are very
popular so we decided to make a sweet red - Young Shiraz 2005 -
rose style. Young Shiraz 2005 is fruity on the palate with a dry
aftertaste. It is a rich red berry colour and is best enjoyed cold.
The remainder of our shiraz 2005 vintage is being made into our
first sparkling shiraz and will be available in December 2005.
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