About The Wine
The Hillcrest Premium Chardonnay is a wine only ever made in exceptional vintages.
With the near perfect conditions in the Yarra Valley during 2015, this may be one of their finest releases to date. Planted in 1970, this elite Chardonnay vineyard produces impossibly low yields of small but intense berries which produces a powerhouse wine. Contrary to the in vogue style in the Yarra, the Hillcrest Premium Chardonnay comes pre-loaded with luscious texture and a voluptuous mouthfeel.
It's a flashy, full-bodied Chardonnay with some flesh on its bones. It's gloriously hedonistic and unique amongst the Yarra landscape. This release received an impressive 95 points from Gary Walsh.
Rare and highly sought-after, the Hillcrest Premium releases are always in high demand.
About Hillcrest Vineyard
Hillcrest is an elite Yarra Valley producer. The wines, farmed and vinified by owners David and Tanya Bryant, are some of the finest in the region.
Every wine produced is grown on the estate; the Premium and Reserve range grown on the impossibly low yielding original plantings from 1970 and the Village wines grown on the younger vineyard extensions in 2000 and 2005.
The wines have a power and a presence. They are made in minuscule volumes. They are treasured by avid collectors and have extraordinary longevity.
These are gorgeous wines that speak of their site and show the vagaries of vintage, a must have for the serious Yarra Valley enthusiast.
From The Producer
Hillcrest is located in the heart of Melbourne's picturesque Yarra Valley, one of Australia's oldest wine regions. Planted in 1970, it was one of the pioneers in the re-establishment of the Valley, and it is this vineyard which provides the old-vine resource from which the rare Reserve, Premium and Estate wines are made.
Purchased in 1999, the neglected 44-year old vineyard was re-trellised to allow for better canopy management. Now farmed along organic principles, herbicides, pesticides, fertilisers and other systemic spraying have been eliminated.
On the southern side of the Yarra Valley, the vineyard benefits from higher elevation and a cooler climate than the valley floor.
Blend : Chardonnay (100%)
Closure : Cork
Drink Until : 2030
Bottle Size : 750ml
Critic Reviews
"Luxurious golden colour, nectarine, honey and white flowers, spicy vanilla biscuits, menthol and almost a roast chicken savoury thing going on. It’s intense, deeply flavoured and powerful, with a firm core of pure acidity, oxidative and savoury flavours, tangerine, a subtle chalk dust texture, and a very long finish. Idiosyncratic, yes! But what a glass of Chardonnay. I’m thinking, this vintage, may be best enjoyed over the next few years: the complexity is already here." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
Delivery is Free for any order of $99 or more, or just $10 for any orders less than $99. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mixed pack! In Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Byron Bay we deliver with our own vans. All other areas are serviced by Australia Post.
Sydney Metro orders in the Pink Zone will be delivered the next day 5 days per week, Monday through Friday. Orders in the Blue Zone will be delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays. Everything outside these zones will be delivered by Australia Post.
Melbourne Metro orders are picked up at 12pm from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and delivered the following day in Melbourne (Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri). Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Melbourne Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Brisbane Metro orders are picked up from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 12pm and delivered on Thursday or Friday. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Brisbane Metro here. Everything outside of this zone will be dispatched next business day with Australia Post.
Australia Wide Deliveries To the rest of Australia we use Australia Post. The Australia Post Collection Truck picks up orders from our Sydney warehouse every weekday at midday. If your order is placed before 12pm we’ll get it on the truck that day. Delivery times vary considerably with Australia Post and unfortunately there is no Express Delivery Option for wine (because it is fragile and heavy). PLEASE NOTE that we are currently seeing significant delays in the Australia Post delivery network. Strict government health and safety requirements and very high parcel volumes are causing significant backlogs at the main NSW and VIC sorting facilities. Orders are still arriving safe and sound but you may notice slower delivery times and less frequent scanning updates than usual.
Authority to Leave and other delivery instructions can be left in the ‘SPECIAL REQUESTS’ box during checkout. The 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box can be found on the here page before the final checkout page.
Our Heat Policy can be viewed here. If you would like us to hold dispatch of your order for milder weather please leave instructions to do so in the 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box found on the cart page before the final checkout. We are happy to hold it for as long as you like. All orders are fully insured so you can buy with full confidence that these tasty beverages will get to you in tip-top shape.
Returns are free for 100 days after purchase. You can view the conditions of our return policy here
For any other shipping related inquiries, please see our helpful FAQ, email us at hello@differentdrop.com or call us on 1300 668 385..
Do I have to order in dozens? No, please mix it up! You can order wines in any quantity and variation you like. You can order 1 bottle or 50. We challenge you to make the ultimate mixed pack of wine!
Are there volume discounts? No, our pricing is designed to be the best in market already - no marking up and then discounting down! For very large orders (weddings, etc) we are open to negotiating though. Just give us a call.
Do we price match? Yes, within reason. Everyday low & consistent pricing is something we strongly believe in. We want our customers to feel confident they are always getting the best price. If you see a price lower somewhere else let us know and we'll consider matching it. We'll even retrospectively issue you store credit if you have already purchased from us but you see a lower price somewhere later on. Our price match policy can be seen here.
Can coupons and discounts be stacked? No, only one discount or coupon can be applied to an order at once.
I am trying to add more of a wine to my cart but it won’t let me? This means we are running low on stock of that wine. So for example, if the website will only allow you to add 3 bottles and no more, then that is all we have of that particular wine. The good news is we may be able to order more for you. Just contact us on 1300 668 385 or hello@differentdrop.com and we'll organise the additional quantity for you.
Does Different Drop have a physical store? No. Just an a warehouse/office. We occasionally do events however, so sign up to our newsletter or follow us on instagram to stay in the loop.
Can I special order a wine you do not sell? If it’s doable, then we’ll make it happen. Just contact us directly via phone, chat or email and we’ll find out for you right away. Please note that in most cases special orders such as these will need to be in full case lots (6 or 12 bottles).
More FaQs: here
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