Australia Wine New South Wales Wines and Vineyards Chalkers Crossing Vineyard and Winery The Chalkers Crossing vineyard and winery are in Young in the Hilltops Region of New South Wales, about 150 km north-west of Canberra and 200 km south-west of Sydney. We planted our first vines in late-1997 and made our first wines in March 2000. At Chalkers Crossing we focus on producing premium quality cool climate wines. Our wine varieties include Riesling, Semillon, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon produced from grapes grown on our vineyard in the Hilltops Region, and Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay produced from grapes grown for us in the Tumbarumba Region of New South Wales. All of our wines are made at the Chalkers Crossing Winery on the Grenfell Road in Young. Our winemaker, Celine Rousseau, was the 2002 QANTAS Young Australian Winemaker of the Year. Celine was born in Paris and trained in Bordeaux. Her skill and experience are reflected in the exceptional quality of the Chalkers Crossing wines. Rockleigh Vineyard, just 5km south of Young in the Hilltops Region of New South Wales, was a neglected plum orchard when it was acquired by Chalkers Crossing. The orchard was converted to a modern 10ha vineyard in late-1997 with the planting of Riesling, Semillon, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The first crop from these vines was harvested in early-2000. Chris Allcock is the company's full-time professional viticulturist and he is charged with ensuring that the grapes we produce are of the highest possible quality. The red sandy loam soils of the Hilltops Region were recognised long ago as prime land for growing stone fruits, particularly cherries. Young is known as 'The Cherry Capital of Australia', although many different fruits are grown in the region. The combination of fertile soils, reliable rainfall and a Mediterranean continental climate makes the Hilltops Region ideal for growing premium quality grapes for wine production. Wine grapes were first planted in the Region in the late-1800's during the gold rush era. The industry fell into decline until the 1980's when grapes were planted in what is now McWilliams' Barwang vineyard. In the past twenty years there has been an acceleration of wine grape plantings in the Hilltops with over 400 hectares of vines producing over 3,000 tonnes of wine grapes annually. The majority of current grape production is sold to large multinational producers of wine outside the region, with only limited production of wine within the Hilltops Region. To compliment its Hilltops range of wines, Chalkers Crossing buys grapes from the cool climate Tumbarumba Region of southern New South Wales to make Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. All Chalkers Crossing wines are made at its modern winery just north of Young. Chalkers Crossing commissioned its state-of-the-art winery just north of Young, New South Wales, in March, 2000 - just in time for vintage. The winery has all the modern wine-making equipment necessary to produce the highest possible quality of wine from its grapes. Equipment includes a Vintek pneumatic press; a Bucher crusher / destemmer and must pump; and over 200,000 litres of stainless steel, temperature controlled storage and fermentation tanks. In addition the winery has eight large temperature controlled rooms to provide the winemaker with the ability to control the process at all stages. Our winemaker is Celine Rousseau. Celine was born in France, studied in Paris and trained in Bordeaux. She gained experience in Bordeaux, Champange, St Emilion and Languedoc in France, and in the Margaret River and Perth Hills in Western Australia before coming to the Hilltops Region in 2000 for the first Chalkers Crossing vintage. Celine became an Australian citizen in 2002. Celine's skills and experience are evident in the quality of our wines and recognised by the awards they have received. 285 Henry Lawson Way, Young NSW 2594 Tel +61 (0) 2 6382 6900 website: www.chalkerscrossing.com.au

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