22 September 2010

Chardonnay is a most remarkable grape variety. Wines can be made in a number of different styles depending on how the vineyard is managed, when the grapes are picked and how the fruit is handled in the winery.

From fresh and fruit driven to complex and full of wine-makers inputs, there is a wine for every occasion. For those of you who do not like chardonnay, I suggest that you try a few of these wines. The old fashioned, big, buttery style has been replaced by elegant and refined wines that showcase the marvelous fruit.

As I have written before, the wines now often need a few years in the bottle to allow the fruit to open up and develop richness.

So to the tasting, this was a memorable collection of wines that highlighted the quality of Australian chardonnay.

Reviewed

Oakridge – Chardonnay – The Parish of Gruyere – 2009 (18.2). Complex, mealy nose with mineral notes. This is a serious wine that has been fully worked. (Barrel ferment, lees stirring and oak aging). The palate is fine and seamless. This is very classy. Excellent fruit combined with skilled wine-making. This is very refined and elegant, and the length of flavours are superb. Similar in style to premier cru Chablis.and great value. (exclusive to Vintage Cellars).

Fraser Gallop – Chardonnay – Wilyabrup – 2009 (18+). Minerals to the fore. Interesting wine-making here. The palate is rich, textured, vibrant and very long. There are stone fruit characters, but these are balanced by complex wine-making inputs. Superb drinking, and more approachable than most here.

Brookland Valley – Chardonnay – 2009 (18). Complex worked notes to open on the nose. Textured, with some pineapple fruit, but the palate is quite firm and astringent. Is a very fine and very long wine that will evolve. Very serious wine-making and fantastic fruit combine to make for a very fine wine that needs several years to show its best.

Castelli – Chardonnay – 2009 (18). Classy. Restrained, tight, focused and very long. Develops lovely pineapple fruit and has real intensity on the palate. This is very good. Superb length – this seems to go on for ever and evolves in the mouth. Excellent oak handling adds to the finish. A star for the patient.

Alterum – Chardonnay – 2009 (17.5). Closed and unyielding. Big, rich and powerful. This is a well made style that offers plenty of flavour, but not as much sophistication as the best here. Remarkably viscous, with stonefruit and marmalade on the finish.

Houghton – Chardonnay – Wisdom – 2009 (17.5). Quite peachy fruit. Fresh stonefruit, this is quite enticing. Fresh and vibrant, a good commercial style with a touch of sweetness to close. This really fleshes out with air, developing a touch of match strike, creamy textured palate and real intensity of fruit. Needs time to show its best.

Les Heritiers du Comte Lafon – Chardonnay – Macon – Milly – Lamartine – 2007 (17.3). Complex and a touch funky. Minerals and complex wine-making inputs. The oak is a touch firm, but this will settle down. An interesting wine.

Angove – Chardonnay – Butterfly Ridge – 2009 (17). Refined and elegant, this has a lovely nose of peaches and a creamy undertone. The palate is fine, though a touch firm. There is lemony acid and a strong minerality. Excellent length and texture. Very well made, and the oak handling is very clever. A contender for Wine of the Year.

Kalgan River – Chardonnay – 2009 (17). Lifted nose with complex aromas. There are plenty of fruit characters, but these are balanced by minerals and some lees characters. Ripe, peachy fruit, but the oak on the finish is a bit firm. Will improve.

Gilberts – Chardonnay – Hand Picked – 2009 (16.8). Peach and a touch of vanilla lead off on the nose. The palate is vibrant and generous, with some tropical fruit characters, musk and even a touch of sherbet. Good summer drinking.

Seppelts – Chardonnay – Grampians – 2008 (16.7). Closed and restrained, the palate is simple, but satisfying. Needs a year or two.

Devils Lair – Chardonnay – Fifth Leg – 2009 (16.5). Fruit driven style. This is good drinking, with a touch of pineapple fruit and granny smith apple juice to close. Fun and quite long: just not that complex or intense.