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Hilltops (Young)

Hilltops, centred on Young ­ and hilly and undulating as the name suggests ­ is the best established of the three neighbouring wine regions encompassed by the 'Bidgeebong Triangle'.

Even so, with little more than 200 hectares under vine, Hilltops is a minnow by Barossa or Hunter standards, and viticulture here is a long way from agri-business, with successful vineyards confined to the tops of ridges and slopes above 450 metres with good air drainage. The altitude ensures a long, even ripening period and sloping sites deny the impact of spring frosts by causing cold air to slip away.

According to James Halliday (Wine Atlas of Australia & New Zealand), soils are rich and deep, typically dark red granitic clays impregnated with basalt.

While the area has reasonable annual rainfall, summer and autumn are dry, which makes irrigation a necessity. Most vineyards are drip-irrigated from dams or bores. The availability of water, or the lack of it, places a natural brake on vineyard development.

A consensus is emerging that the table wine varieties doing best are Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and perhaps Semillon. The best red wines are of medium weight and elegant in style but with plenty of flavour. Chardonnay is clearly a cool-climate style, fresh, lean and melony.

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