Are local winemakers and proprietors trying as hard with cabernet sauvignon in Australia, as they are with pinot noir?  The quality of pinot noir seems to keep on improving.  Given James Halliday’s association with Coldstream Hills, this label will always hold interest.  The 2014 vintage is a quite typical lower Yarra Valley expression of the grape, with its aromatics of cherry, fresh bacon (if still a legal descriptor) and some stems from the whole bunch.  The palate has good length and provides the expected Yarra Valley rendition of this variety, with bright cherries, a rounded mouthfeel and occasional licks of cedar.  A good release.  Good

Abv: 13%, Price: $30, Vendors and website: http://www.coldstreamhills.com.au, Tasted: 2015