Colmar Estate is a six-hectare vineyard on the slopes of Mount Canobolas in the Orange region of New South Wales. At 980 metres it is one of the highest vineyards in Australia, with a cool, continental climate well suited to sparkling wine and Riesling. It is the realisation of a lifelong dream for Bill Shrapnel, who cycled alone through the great wine regions of France and Germany in 1977 and resolved to own a vineyard one day. He and his wife Jane bought the property in May 2013.
The vineyard had been planted in 2000. The new owners grafted under-performing Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot over to white varieties and Pinot Noir better suited to the cool site. All fruit is hand-picked and made into small batches of single-vineyard wines.
Success came quickly: Colmar Estate won 27 trophies at Australian wine shows in its first five vintages, including Best White Wine and Best Wine of Show at the Orange Wine Show, becoming the region's most awarded vineyard. Critics have called it a tour de force of fizz and Riesling.
- Address
- 790 Pinnacle Road, Orange NSW 2800
- Founded
- 2013
- Winemakers
- Will Rikard-Bell
Visit the Colmar Estate website
Regions
Wines
- Colmar Estate Block 1 Chardonnay — White
- Colmar Estate Block 1 Pinot Noir — Red
- Colmar Estate Block 2 Chardonnay — White
- Colmar Estate Block 3 Pinot Noir — Red
- Colmar Estate Block 5 Riesling — White
- Colmar Estate Block 6 Riesling — White
- Colmar Estate Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs — Sparkling
- Colmar Estate Chardonnay Pinot Noir — Sparkling
- Colmar Estate Chardonnay Pinot Noir Vintage Brut — Sparkling
- Colmar Estate Chardonnay Single Vineyard Reserve — White
- Colmar Estate Gewrztraminer Orange Gewurztraminer — White
- Colmar Estate Le Moche Pinot Gris Traminer Riesling — White
- Colmar Estate Orange Chardonnay — White
- Colmar Estate Orange Gewürztraminer — White
- Colmar Estate Orange Pinot Noir — Red
- Colmar Estate Orange Pinot Rosé — Rosé
- Colmar Estate Orange Riesling — White
- Colmar Estate Orange Sauvignon Blanc — White
- Colmar Estate Pinot Gris — White
- Colmar Estate Pinot Gris Riesling Gewürztraminer La Dame — White
- Colmar Estate Pinot Noir Chardonnay Brut — Sparkling
- Colmar Estate Pinot Noir Chardonnay Brut Rosé — Sparkling
- Colmar Estate Pinot Noir Pinot Rosé — Rosé
- Colmar Estate Pinot Noir Shiraz Pinot Shiraz — Red
- Colmar Estate Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Reserve — Red
- Colmar Estate Riesling Pinot Gris Gewürztraminer Le Moche Pinot Gris Traminer Riesling — White
- Colmar Estate Riesling Pinot Noir Single Vineyard Brut Rosé — Sparkling
- Colmar Estate Riesling Single Vineyard — White
- Colmar Estate Riesling Single Vineyard Reserve — White
- Colmar Estate Sparkling Brut Rosé — Sparkling
- Colmar Estate Sparkling Orange Chardonnay Pinot Noir — Sparkling
- Colmar Estate Sweet La Belle Riesling — Dessert