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What is Chalkers Crossing Wines?
Chalkers Crossing Wines is a small Australian winery based at Young in New South Wales, producing single-vineyard wines from the Hilltops and Tumbarumba regions. It has been making wine since 2000, and its winemaker, Celine Rousseau, frames the style around conveying the terroir of those two cool-climate vineyard sites. The cellar door and business address is 285 Henry Lawson Way, Young NSW 2594.
Its range centres on cool-climate varietal wines. From the site's own "Best Picks," examples include a 2015 CC2 Hilltops Shiraz, a 2015 Tumbarumba Sauvignon Blanc, and a 2014 Hilltops Shiraz — a mix of Shiraz from the warmer, higher-elevation Hilltops country around Young and white wine from Tumbarumba at the foot of the Snowy Mountains.
Who it suits
- Travellers driving through the South West Slopes who want a personal, working-winery visit rather than a large commercial cellar door.
- Drinkers who follow specific NSW cool-climate regions and want single-vineyard, region-labelled bottles.
- Buyers who prefer to deal directly with a producer, including wholesale or distribution enquiries.
Practical points before you go
- Opening hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30am–4:30pm. The site asks visitors to call 02 6382 6900 first, because staff may be out in the vineyard.
- Because it is a working property rather than a staffed hospitality venue, build your visit around a confirmed phone call, especially if you are travelling a long distance.
- If you cannot visit, the site has a shopping cart and a distributors page, so retail and trade routes exist beyond the cellar door.
A sensible next step: decide whether you want a tasting visit or a specific bottle. For a visit, phone ahead to confirm someone will be there. For a bottle, check the "Our Wines" and "Distributors" sections to see whether the wine you want is sold direct or through a stockist near you. If you are planning a wider trip, Wine Australia and regional bodies such as Hilltops Wine can help you place Chalkers Crossing within the surrounding wine trail.
What wines does Chalkers Crossing produce and which regions are they from?
Chalkers Crossing makes premium cool-climate, single-vineyard Australian wines, and its two named regions are the Hilltops (around Young, in southern NSW) and Tumbarumba (at the foot of the Snowy Mountains). The site presents the winery as a producer of fine Australian wines and highlights a focus on single-vineyard bottlings rather than multi-region blends.
H3 What the site lists The "Our Best Picks" selection names these wines and their regions:
- 2015 CC2 Hilltops Shiraz — Hilltops Region, NSW
- 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Tumbarumba — Tumbarumba Region, NSW
- 2014 Hilltops Shiraz — Hilltops Region, NSW
So the visible range points to Shiraz from Hilltops and Sauvignon Blanc from Tumbarumba. The site also states that Chalkers Crossing has been creating wines since 2000, and quotes winemaker Celine Rousseau on wanting drinkers to sense the terroir of the Hilltops and Tumbarumba vineyards.
H3 What this means in practice If you are choosing between the two regions, the distinction is useful: Hilltops is described as cool climate around Young, while Tumbarumba is a remote, high-country region near the Snowy Mountains. That generally suits different styles — Shiraz from Hilltops and a white such as Sauvignon Blanc from Tumbarumba — though the exact style depends on the vintage and winemaking.
For a concrete scenario: if you want a red for a cool-weather meal, the Hilltops Shiraz listings are the obvious starting point. If you want a crisp white for seafood or warm afternoons, the Tumbarumba Sauvignon Blanc is the one the site highlights.
H3 Next step Check the "Our Wines" page on Chalkers Crossing Wines for the current range and vintages, since the featured picks may not reflect everything produced. If you plan to visit, the site asks you to call ahead on 02 6382 6900 during the listed Monday–Friday opening hours, as staff may be out in the vineyard. For broader regional context, see Wine Australia.
Can I visit Chalkers Crossing for a wine tasting and what are the opening hours?
Yes, you can visit Chalkers Crossing in Young, NSW, but the site presents it as a cellar-door visit rather than a guaranteed drop-in tasting. The winery asks visitors to call ahead on 02 6382 6900 so they don't arrive when staff are out in the vineyard.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 9:30am–4:30pm. No weekend hours are listed.
Practical next step: Call before you drive out, especially if you're coming from outside Young or planning around a weekend. The address is 285 Henry Lawson Way, Young NSW 2594.
What to expect: Chalkers Crossing focuses on premium cool-climate, single-vineyard wines from the Hilltops region around Young and the Tumbarumba region at the foot of the Snowy Mountains. Their listed popular wines include a 2015 CC2 Hilltops Shiraz, a 2015 Tumbarumba Sauvignon Blanc and a 2014 Hilltops Shiraz, so a visit is best suited to drinkers interested in regional NSW Shiraz and cool-climate whites rather than a large, formal tasting complex.
Decision criterion: If you want a flexible weekend tasting, this may not fit. If you're in the Young area on a weekday and can phone first, it's a straightforward stop. For broader regional planning, see Visit NSW or Wine Australia.
Where can I buy Chalkers Crossing wines or find a distributor?
The official Chalkers Crossing site is the starting point for buying or finding a distributor: it lists a Distributors page and a shopping cart, so you can either buy directly or look up trade/retail stockists. See Chalkers Crossing Wines Young NSW.
H3 Practical next step
- If you want a single bottle or a small order: use the site's Our Wines section and cart, then check the Distributors page for any retail stockists closer to you.
- If you are a restaurant, bottle shop or importer: the Distributors page is the relevant route for trade enquiries. The site also lists a phone number, which is often faster for wholesale questions.
H3 What to have ready
- Your location (suburb, state or country), because Hilltops and Tumbarumba producers often have uneven retail coverage.
- The specific wine you want, since availability varies by vintage and region.
- Whether you want delivery or pickup: the winery is at 285 Henry Lawson Way, Young NSW, with opening hours Monday–Friday, 9:30am–4:30pm. Calling ahead is advised because staff may be out in the vineyard.
H3 Trade-off Direct-from-winery buying usually gives the best access to current releases and mixed orders, but a local distributor or retailer can be cheaper and faster for repeat or by-the-case purchases once you know what you like. If you are outside Australia, start with the distributor list rather than assuming international shipping.
What makes the Hilltops and Tumbarumba wine regions suitable for cool climate wines?
Cool-climate suitability in these two regions comes from elevation and latitude working together, not from any single factor. The Hilltops area around Young sits in southern New South Wales at a latitude far enough south to soften summer heat, while Tumbarumba lies at the foot of the Snowy Mountains, where altitude sharpens the same effect. Cooler sites generally ripen grapes more slowly, preserving natural acidity and producing wines with tighter structure and fresher fruit rather than jammy weight.
Chalkers Crossing draws on both regions and describes its focus as premium cool-climate, single-vineyard wines, with the winemaker, Celine Rousseau, tying the style to a sense of terroir from those specific vineyards. That combination of two distinct sites is the practical point: Hilltops and Tumbarumba are not interchangeable, so a producer can match variety and site rather than rely on one regional signature.
If you are choosing what to taste or buy, use the regional difference as your guide:
- Hilltops (around Young): inland, cool for its latitude, suited to structured reds such as Shiraz.
- Tumbarumba: higher and closer to the mountains, one of NSW's more remote wine-growing areas, typically associated with fresher whites such as Sauvignon Blanc.
- Single-vineyard labelling: a useful signal that the wine reflects one site's conditions rather than a blended regional style.
A practical next step is to compare the same variety across both regions if you can, or start with the two regional bottlings the winery highlights — a Hilltops Shiraz and a Tumbarumba Sauvignon Blanc — to see how much the site, rather than the grape alone, shapes the wine. Visiting hours are limited to weekday business hours, so call ahead if you plan to taste at the property.
Who is the winemaker at Chalkers Crossing and what is their winemaking approach?
Celine Rousseau is the winemaker at Chalkers Crossing Wines, based in Young, New South Wales. The site presents her approach in her own words: she wants drinkers to get “a true sense of the terroir” of the estate’s vineyards in the Hilltops and Tumbarumba regions. In practice, that means the wines are positioned around place rather than a house style applied across the range.
What the approach looks like
- Single-vineyard focus: The winery says it concentrates on “premium quality cool climate single vineyard wines,” so the vineyard, not a multi-region blend, is the starting point.
- Cool-climate sites: Hilltops, around Young in southern NSW, and Tumbarumba, at the foot of the Snowy Mountains, are both described as cool-climate regions. Tumbarumba is noted as one of NSW’s most remote wine-growing areas.
- Variety and site matching: The featured wines include Hilltops Shiraz from 2014 and 2015 and a Tumbarumba Sauvignon Blanc from 2015, showing how the two regions are matched to different styles.
How to use this
If terroir-driven, cool-climate Australian wine is what you are after, compare a Hilltops Shiraz with a Tumbarumba white to see how the two sites read side by side. For current releases, opening hours or a visit, check Chalkers Crossing Wines directly, and call ahead as the site asks, since the team may be out in the vineyard.
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