In a town like Orange, NSW, it’s hard to make wine that stands out when standards are already so high. But this winery on the eastern slopes of Mt Canobolas has managed to do just that once again with its latest premium range.
Sign up to our free newsletter here for more travel inspiration. You also get your own copy of our travel ebook — it’s on us!
I cast my mind back to late 2024. Christina and I are at the relaunch dinner for NSW Wine Month – an amazing celebration of wine from New South Wales – which has returned phoenix-like after years in hiatus.
Next to us at the table is an unassuming, somewhat rugged, somewhat laconic man who seems to want to keep himself to himself. A country gentleman.
As the wines are poured to accompany the excellent food, we comment on how good the Chardonnay is. Our waiter offers the label for us to take a picture.
The man beside us smiles. Just ever so slightly.
The wine is Ross Hill Winery’s Eastern View Chardonnay from Orange NSW. The man: James Robson – co-owner and vigneron of Ross Hill.
This is his wine.
Ice firmly shattered and allegiance lines clearly laid, we’re soon deep in conversation with James who, once out of his shell, is quite the raconteur.
With all the superb food and exemplary wine, this was always going to be a great party. But with James as our dinner companion (sorry-not-sorry for hogging him!), this is an evening to remember.
Fast forward about nine months, and Christina and I are in Orange, NSW. We’re here for Christmas in July at the Oriana Motel (outstanding by the way), but we decide to book a tour of Ross Hill’s cellar door while we’re here.
It’s just up the road.
As luck would have it, James is running the tour this morning. It’s great to see him again and to learn more about his wines in situ.
You can book your own tour of Ross Hill Winery here.
Ross Hill Winery, Orange NSW
Ross Hill is one of the founding vineyards of Orange’s now flourishing wine scene. For years, It’s been crafting wonderful iterations of varietals that have put Orange on the map.
High altitude, cool evenings and rich sumptuous soils make for incredible Chardonnays, Pinots and Cabernets, as well as a host of other wines. But as we chat to James, two recent years in particular seem to be standing out:
With near-perfect conditions, 2024 has been marked as a Classic Vintage for the region – especially for reds. As for the following year, 2025, this is looking ideal for white wines.
So if you’re in the market for wines from Orange, hop on this particular bandwagon vintage!
Ross Hill Wines’ Pinnacle Series
As we’ve said, Ross Hill makes a lot of excellent wine, but at the top is their aptly named Pinnacle Series. These are the winery’s premium wines, hand-crafted and made from selected parcels of fruit.
This latest release is made up of seven varieties – the reds coming from the brilliant 2024 vintage and the whites from 2025. If you’re not sure why this is important, you haven’t read the previous section!
Here are our thoughts on three from the range:
Pinnacle Series Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (RRP $35.00)
We’re not huge fans of the typical tropical fruit bomb Sauv Blanc, which is why this one is such a hit.
More towards a Sancerre than a passionfruit classic, this wine has plenty of texture from lees and oak-barrel fermenting. Focus is on citrus, creamy mouthfeel and mineral finish.
Pinnacle Series Chardonnay 2025 (RRP $40.00)
Orange produces some of the best Chardonnay in Australia and this one doesn’t disappoint.
This is a modern, cool-climate Chardy. Far from being a butter barrel (which isn’t something we hate either btw), this Chardonnay is fruit-led, subtle on the oak, and focused on citrus acidity, stone fruit and a wonderful creamy texture that provides a long finish.
Pinnacle Series Cabernet Franc 2024 (RRP $50.00)
Somewhere between Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon in terms of flavour profile, body and structure, Cab Franc is growing in popularity in Australia.
This is an excellent example of the variety, showing plenty of fragrant herbal aromatics, redcurrant and fresh cherry notes on the palate, and a refined tannin structure within a medium body. There’s oak here too, but it’s restrained and doesn’t interrupt the fruit. Lovely stuff.
This release of Ross Hill’s Pinnacle Series is a double celebration for the winery as 2026 marks the 10-year anniversary of them being Carbon Neutral; an impressive feat.
Ross Hill’s Full Premium Range
The full Pinnacle Series selection for this release consists of Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
There’s also a Pinnacle Series Blanc de Blancs (we do love a Blanc de Blancs!), and let’s not forget the uber-elite Eastern View Chardonnay and vaunted Bordeaux-blend award-winner The Griffin.
The core Pinnacle Series wines range retails between $35 to $50 and the last two are $95 each, making this one of – if not the – most affordable premium hand-crafted wine selections on the market.
Buy Ross Hill Wines’ Pinnacle Series direct from the winery here or via their beautiful cellar door in Orange.