The Lawson family at Catherine Vale wine estate believes nothing makes better wine than a hands-on approach. Originally an orange farm, the land now flourishes with vineyards of Chardonnay, Semillon, Verdelho and Italian varieties like Barbera and Dolcetto.
Italian flair
The first vines planted in 1993, which makes Catherine Vale is a relatively young wine estate. The Italian reds were added five years after the first plantings, and with the Australian market swing towards red wines, this proved an excellent investment for the small winery.
Solo Dolcetto
The Catherine Vale estate lies on the border of the Yengo National Park and its vineyards are planted along the Wollombi Brook’s valley. The brook flows through the vineyards – an excellent source of natural irrigation to quell the lands in the summer heat. Production is kept to just 200 cases a year, none of which are exported. Even so, Catherine Vale has made quite an impression on the wine community as the only producer of Dolcetto wines in the Hunter Valley region.
Traditional style
Catherine Vale’s winemaker John Hodern takes a traditional approach to processing the wines, which range from the crisp and dry to the honeyed and fortified. Their signature Chardonnays are oak-aged for added complexity, while the Semillon is fermented in steel vats for that crisp, clean taste lauded by wine critics and journalists.
For a relatively new winery, Catherine Vale has won many prestigious awards and high ratings for its standalones and blends. Its 2000 Chardonnay won a gold medal at the 2001 Brisbane Wine Show and also took home the trophy for Best White Wine.
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You’ll find Catherine Vale Vineyard here: Catherine Vale Vineyard
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