Category Archives: Chardonnay – Wine Reviews

Riesling and Chardonnay

12 November 2010

Troy Denham, the State Manager for Fours Seasons Fine Wines, was keen to put a couple of wines from their excellent portfolio into our masked tasting to see how they performed. It was with this in mind that we looked at several brackets of riesling, and a bracket of chardonnays. There were a couple of real stars in the tasting, so the wines had their work cut out.

It was no surprise that the Grossett rieslings did well, they are the benchmark for Australian rieslings. That the 2010 wines from Xabregas showed so well was impressive. Importantly, wines like the Leasingham Bin 7 do not show well in these tastings. The firm acidity makes them hard work now but guarantees a 20 year cellaring future.

The highlight of the chardonnay bracket was the contrast between the two wines from Xanadu. The Stevens Road was impressive in all respects. The sheer weight of fruit combined with turbo-charged wine-making inputs makes this a wine that must be noticed. By comparison, the Reserve was superbly balanced, making it a joy to drink!

Finally, Angove has done it again with their Butterfly Ridge which retails for $7. It is a sound wine that drinks well.

Reviewed

Riesling

Grossett – Riesling – Polish Hill – 2010 (18.7). Very citrusy nose. Lemon and lime juice with a touch of curd. A powerful wine, this has spectacular line and length. The length really is incredible and the fruit quality impeccable. The palate is dominated by steely fruit and limey acidity. This is tight and quite austere, but will be a superstar.

Grossett – Riesling – Springvale – 2010 (18.5). This has everything! There is floral fruit laid over minerals and slate. Passionfruit, lime and even a touch of lavender. The palate is fresh and vibrant. The abundant acid is remarkably soft and allows the fruit to flourish. This will live for many years, but is relatively approachable now.

Xabregas – Riesling – X – Spencer Road – 2010 (18.5). Extraordinarily pale and almost with a touch of spritz. Quite Germanic in a kabinet style really, with lovely aromatics. This is extraordinarily fine and delicate, yet there is immense power behind the wine. If there is a hint of sweetness, the acid balances the wine beautifully.

Cherubino – Riesling – The Yard – Pannoo Vineyard – 2010 (18.3). Reserved, with a steely backbone. There is musk, sherbet and lime juice acidity that frames the finish. There is a touch of talc on the back palate. The length is impressive and this just needs time to flourish.

Lucien Albrecht – Riesling – Reserve – 2009 (18). Lovely floral/aromatic nose not dissimilar to gwertztraminer. Really seductive with lime juice and musk, the fruit characters carry through on an impressive finish that is rich and textured.

Howard Park – Riesling – Porongurup – 2010 (17.9). Again, shy. This is high in acid, but it is not aggressive. There is lemony fruit, but it is struggling to make its presence felt. This opens and gets really juicy. Very fine wine.

Xabregas – Riesling – 2010 (17.8) Floral and sweet fruit characters. This is textured, viscous and long. The obvious residual sugar carries the palate and the acid keeps the balance. Drink on a warm afternoon by itself.

Plantaganet – Riesling – 2009 (17.7). Much rounder, even a touch creamy. Again more to the steely side, but with some passionfruit and citrus notes coming through. The finish is very long, with lemony acidity providing the length. Sound wine. Powdery, fine, more modern and greater length.

Xabregas – Riesling – Show Reserve – 2009 (17.5). Minerals to the fore. Steely, with a touch of lanolin. Piercing acidity but balanced. Long and fine finish, but really needs time. 10 yrs+

Howard Park – Riesling – Museum Release – 2006 (17.4). Some developed characters with a touch of toast and just a hint of kerosene, (A good thing). Just starting to hit its drinking window, the developed toasty notes are balanced by fine acidity. Good drinking.

Leasingham – Riesling – Bin 7 – 2009 (17.3+). Lemony fruit, though the acid gets to me at the moment. There is good quality fruit, but it needs many years to emerge from the steely framework.

Boston Bay – Riesling – 2010 (17.1). Restrained, with textured and structural components more obvious now. The palate is fine and well balanced, with lime and mineral components. Falls away on the finish a touch, but a good effort.

Angove – Riesling/Gwertztraminer – Butterfly Ridge – 2010 (16.5). Floral and aromatic, there is musk, lychee and passionfruit. The palate is viscous and textured but the acid helps avoid the finish becoming cloying (just). At $7,this is another screaming bargain.

Talisman – Riesling – 2009 (16). Much more steely and racy, this has good length, though it is not so complex.

Chardonnay

Xanadu – Chardonnay – Reserve – 2009 (18.5). Quite burgundian nose, with almond meal and minerals combined with well judged oak. The palate has lovely fresh acidity and there is a touch of citrus and stonefruit characters to finish. Really subtle oak and well integrated. Texture is very good. The balance of this wine is a highlight and after a day or two sitting open on the tasting bench, this really blossomed.

Xanadu – Chardonnay – Stevens Road – 2009 (18.4). This is BIG! Well made wine, with all wine-makers fingerprints evident. There are creamy textural components on the nose, along with mealy cashew and almond notes and a gentle creaminess. The intensity of the fruit on the palate is outstanding, thought the piercing acidity is a touch dominant now. There is pineapple fruit on the palate and textural wine-maker’s inputs. Great length and a very textured finish, with the barrel ferment, lees and oak components all adding to the finish. This has more of everything and is for lovers of big, (but not blowsy) chardonnay.

Clairault – Chardonnay – Estate – 2008 (17.4). This has some toasty oak notes to open. The palate is long and very closed, with the supple oak dominating the finish. I would like to see this again in 6 months to see where it is going.

Clairault – Chardonnay – 2009 (17.2). Dumb. This is a very minerally wine with textural wine-makers inputs. Reserved and tight, this needs a few years to open up. There is some fresh peachy fruit, but this is just developing.

Chardonnay – New Release

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.

Chardonnay – New Release

24 May 2010

There is a movement out there called ABC (Anything But Chardonnay), but I believe that this has no relevance these days. Fifteen years ago Australian chardonnays tended to be very ripe and rich. They made up in power what they lacked in sophistication.

As a rule, Australia now makes a much finer style that is more balanced and restrained. This has lead to a variety of styles from the various regions producing chardonnay. This tasting highlighted the quality of the wines superbly, with Frankland, Victoria and Margaret River all providing wines of quality.

For those of you who avoid chardonnay, please get hold of a bottle of the Galafrey unwooded chardonnay. This has the liveliness of an SSB, but with a different flavour spectrum.

Tasted

Forest Hill – Chardonnay 2008 (18.1). Wow, this smells really familiar yet is quite intriguing. The nose has sticking plaster, mineral, spice and a touch of antiseptic (a good thing). Well judged oak complements the flinty palate. This is balanced, textured and dense. High quality fruit is complemented by fine oak. Almost burgundian.

Shadowfax – Chardonnay – 2008 (17.9). More lemon and subtle barrel ferment characters here. Creamier on the palate, with more of the lemony oak and fresh acid, Needs a year or two to settle down, but excellent. Excellent mouth-feel and texture with a touch of grapefruit to close.

Forest Hill – Chardonnay – Block 8 – 2007 (17.7). Minerals, lees, barrel ferment and stonefruit lead a complex nose. Some curry leaf too. This is complex, with high quality fruit and excellent oak handling. The long and supple finish really lingers with very tight oak influence. This is quite tight and will improve for a few years.

MadFish – Chardonnay – Sideways – 2009 (17.7). Closed to start. Wow, this has it all, with lemon, stonefruit, creamy oak that is very fine and lovely mouth-feel. Very restrained and very modern, this has good length. May develop more complexity with a year or two in bottle.

Howard Park – Chardonnay – 2009 (17.5+). This is very young and closed. The high quality fruit is very fine and elegant. There is a density to the palate that only opens with plenty of air. This may well be a star, but it is too soon to know. We tend to think of red wines when it comes to decanting, but this is a great example of a white to decant now or cellar for several years.

Galafrey – Chardonnay – Reserve – 2008 (17.4+) Fresh, with lemon zest, peach and topical notes on the nose. The palate has lovely cashew nut fruit and a mealy texture. A touch of viscosity from lees adds interest. Well made and sure to improve with a year or two in bottle.

Brookland Valley – Chardonnay – Verse One – 2009 (17.2). This is complex and interesting. Lemon and grapefruit to start, and it develops really peachy fruit. Restrained oak helps with the texture and mouth-feel. Very good value.

Galafrey – Semillon – Reserve – 2009 (17+). Rounded, generous and mouth-filling, with plenty of grassy fruit. There is a touch of viscosity and good length. Fresh fruit to close, this will get better. (I accidentally slipped this into the line-up, and it did very well considering).

Angove – Chardonnay – Limestone Coast – 2008 (16.8). This is quite good again. The fruit is of good quality and has been handled well. The oak grip on the finish is a touch assertive right now.

Ferngrove – Chardonnay – 2009 (16.8). Balanced, soft and rounded. Creamy, soft and fine. This is a good drink.

Galafrey – Chardonnay – Unwooded – 2009 (16.8). Almost sauvignon blanc-like, this is so fresh and tropical. Uncomplicated, refreshing and lively on the palate, this is a great alternative to a SSB. Bring on spring.

Windrush – Chardonnay – 2009 (16.7). Fresh and a touch floral. This has a vibrant palate with some citrus and tropical fruit. Oak not obvious.

Xanadu – Chardonnay – Next of Kin – 2009 (16.7). Closed but this has quite a lemony nose. Almost lemon meringue pie. Starts of with good fruit and finishes with lemony oak, fresh acid, vanilla and plenty of zest.

Windrush – Chardonnay – 2007 (16.6). A well made wine from start to finish. This is varietally correct and good drinking. Could do with a touch more fruit concentration.

MadFish – Chardonnay – Gold Turtle – 2009 (16.5). This is just too young now. There are quality components, but they have not come together yet.

Angove – Chardonnay – Organic – 2009 (16.5). This is a sound, well made wine. If Organic is your thing, then this is a good place to start.

Burgundy Comes to Australia

Direct imports by Lamont’s – Cottesloe

17 & 22 December 2009

Burgundy is the holy grail of wines from my perspective. The great wines from Burgundy (both red and white) are possibly the greatest wines on the planet. The problem is that most wines do not reach anywhere near that pinnacle, especially for pinot noir. The best new world pinots are lovely wines but they lack the ethereal qualities of great burgundies. Indeed, most red burgundies fall well short of the mark too.

The story is a little different for chardonnay. The greatest new world wines (e.g. Leeuwin Estate from Margaret River) are indeed great wines. They are different to those from Burgundy though. Not better or worse, just different. Is the quality of these new world chardonnays equal to the best white burgundies (e.g. Grand Cru wines such as La – Montrachet etc)? Perhaps not quite, but the gap is small. Do good whites from the Burgundy region offer a drinking experience that is worth pursuing? Definitely! The minerally characters abundant in these wines are ideally suited to food, and often will take some aging.

At this stage I should highlight that wines made from chardonnay from the Burgundy region come from two main regions. Chablis and Burgundy. Both are typically 100% chardonnay, but the style differs significantly. I will discuss this further in a future article.

So to the wines.

Lamont’s has sourced a number of wines from various producers throughout Burgundy and Chablis. Looking at the order form, the wines appear to be very well priced. They suggest that a combination of the higher Australian Dollar, decreased global demand post the Global Financial Crisis and the ability to bypass the middle-man through direct imports has resulted in significantly reduced prices.

Having said all this, the wines only represent good value if they are actually good. After tasting 18 of the wines (this was not a blind tasting, so points are a bit arbitrary) I am pleased to say that they are good to very good, and there is some excellent value on offer.

Importantly, this is an opportunity to drink/cellar a selection of wines that offer something different to anything being made in the new world.

Tasted

Chardonnay

Bernard Bonin – Meursault Charmes – Premier Cru – 2004 (18). (Burgundy). Open and rich nose with minerals and melon fruit characters The palate is round and rich, with caramel toasty oak. Good mouth feel that is viscous and textured. Drinking well now.

Bernard Bonin – Corton Charlemagne – Grand Cru – 2004 (18.5). (Burgundy). Formerly known as Domaine Michelot. Closed and surprisingly tight given that it is 5 years old. The palate has plenty of minerals, spice, stone fruit and a touch of almond. There is also peachy fruit and a touch of apricot kernel. The palate is defined by fine acidity and high quality oak but remains lean and relatively austere. Will evolve wonderfully over time.

Darviot Perrin – Meursault – Clos de La Ville – 2006 (17.9). (Burgundy). Whilst quite closed at the moment, this has citrus and tropical fruit notes. The palate is rich, ripe and textured with lovely mouth feel. Very fine oak is seamlessly integrated. Opens and builds power with air. Give it a few years to blossom.

Darviot Perrin – Chassagne Montrachet – Blanchots Dessus – Premier Cru – 2006 (18.5). (Burgundy). Closed, complex and creamy. The palate is closed, tight, seamless and very long. Stone fruit to the fore with great subtlety. This is fantastic! Needs several years to show its best.

Laurent Cognard – Montagny Les Bassets – Premier Cru – 2008 (17.5). (Burgundy). More obvious nose. Quite creamy, with more stone fruit and less minerals than the wines from chablis. There is also a touch of Marzipan/rose water. This has potential! The palate has lovely lemony acid, is creamy and has a relatively seamless palate. Some apricot to close.

Philippe Chavy – Borgogne Blanc – 2007 (16.9). (Burgundy). Cold and quite closed to start. Plenty of minerals and lemony acid with a touch of toastiness. Not complex, but would be good drinking with a risotto this summer.

Philippe Chavy – Puligny Montrachet – Folatiers – Premier Cru – 2007 (18). (Burgundy). More complex and ripe. Interestingly, this has more colour than most here. The palate is defined by powerful fruit – this is big. Very good length and more structure. One to drink over the next year.

Philippe Chavy – Puligny Montrachet – 2007 (17.7). (Burgundy). More complex and obviously white burgundy. A touch of mineraly curry leaf. This is quite chewy and textured with a touch of honey and seamless oak. There is a steely finish on this fine wine.

Sylvain Mosnier – Petite Chablis – 2007 (16.9). Classic minerals and flint on the nose with ripe peach and a touch of almond meal. The palate is bright and fresh. This is tasty, and has a lovely mouth watering saltiness on the close. Not greatly complex, but very enjoyable drinking. Good Value.

Sylvain Mosnier – Beauroy – Premier Cru – 2006 (17.4). (Chablis). More complex, with honey, lanolin, and stone fruit. The palate has apricot kernel and honey. There is some oak evident on the creamy finish. This has real density of fruit but is still quite closed. May get greater length with a year more in bottle.

Bernard Bonin – Meursault – Les Tillets – 2005 (NR). (Burgundy). Slight cork taint. Looks promising.

Pinot Noir

Anne & Herve Sigaut – Morey St Denis – Les Millandes – Premier Cru – 2007 (17.5/18). Wow, really perfumed with a touch of meatiness. This really chewy and dense showing fruit and tannin ripeness. The drying finish is very fine. Points for potential.

Aurelien Verdet – Haut Cote de Nuit – 2007 (17.3). Scented and perfumed. A fine and refined wine. More concentrated than the Clos des Faulques. Darker cherry fruit that has earthy undertones. White pepper and savoury notes. This is great value.

Darviot Perrin – Beaune Bellisands – Premier Cru – 2003 (18). Intriguing “French” pong reflects the extra bottle age on this wine. Deep smelling with cherry and red currant undertones. The palate is long, complex, savoury and dense. Subtle oak supports the cherry fruit. Very good drinking!

Jean-Marc Millot – Cotes de Nuits Villages – Clos des Faulques – 2007 (16.5). Ripe cherry with some complexity on the nose. The palate has cherry, strawberries and spice. Simple but a good drink.

Jean-Marc Millot – Clos Vougeot – Grand Cru – 2007 (18.5+). Complex, deep and fragrant nose. Wow, the palate is powerful, deep, dense, very fine and long. Evolves with air, revealing leather, spice and cloves. Majestic wine.

N.B. To add context to the tasting, we opened a bottle of the Leeuwin Estate – Art Series – Chardonnay – 2006 (18.5/18.7) to use as a bench mark. This is a wine of stunning quality and at under $100 a bottle is a real bargain.

Chardonnay – New Release

16th July 2009

The usual panel got together for 21 new chardonnays. The distinguishing feature of the tasting was the modern style in which they were made. Gone are the fat, blousy and heavily oaked wines from the 1990s. These wines are lean, tight and fresh. Oak is mainly in the background, and french oak is the order of the day. Most of the wines need at least a year or two to flesh out and show their best. The most startling wine was the Rosemount Roxburgh, which is as far removed from the wines of the early 1990s as night is from day.

The down side of this change in style is that the wines are not as approachable young, and tasting 21 in a little over an hour is hard work indeed. A winery to watch is Xabregas. their show reserve wines look promising. If they are priced sensibly ($30) they will represent good buying.

Tasted

  1. Moss Wood – Moss Wood Vineyard – Chardonnay – 2007 (17.5/18+)
  2. Plantagenet – Chardonnay – 2008 (17.5)
  3. Xabregas – Show Reserve – Chardonnay – 2006 (17.5)
  4. Xanadu – Reserve – Chardonnay – 2008 (17.3)
  5. Rosemount – Roxburgh – Chardonnay – 2007 (17.2+)
  6. Singlefile Estate – Reserve – Chardonnay – 2008 (17.1)
  7. 3 Drops – Chardonnay – 2007 (17)
  8. Higher Plane – South by South West – Chardonnay – 2006 (16.9)
  9. Singlefile Estate – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.8)
  10. Vistamar – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.7)
  11. Xanadu – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.7)
  12. Xanadu – Next of Kin – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.6)
  13. Plantagenet – Omrah – Chardonnay – 2008 (16. 5)
  14. Hardy’s – The Gamble – Chardonnay/Pinot Gris – 2008 (16.5)
  15. Capel Vale – Regional series – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.5)
  16. Charlies Origins – Chardonnay – 2006 (16.5)
  17. Marchand and Burch – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.5)
  18. Marchand and Burch – Chardonnay – 2007 (16.3)
  19. Xanadu – Dragon – Chardonnay – 2008 (16).
  20. Saracen Estate – Chardonnay – 2007 (16).
  21. Hay Shed Hill – Chardonnay – 2008 (14.5)

Results

Moss Wood – Moss Wood Vineyard – Chardonnay – 2007 (17.5/18). Whilst this wine started more austere than most here, it really opened up with a bit of time. Has everything really, serious fruit, excellent oak and all the usual winemakers inputs (barrel ferment, lees contact etc). At this stage the oak is a little dominant at the finish, but this will settle down. The palate has the lot with pineapple fruit and vanillin oak to close. Needs 3-5 years. .

Plantagenet – Chardonnay – 2008 (17.7+). Complex and tight nose. The palate has lovely almonds, apricots and melons. Grapefruit acidity to close. Oak subdued. Young but exciting. This will be even better with time. Much better the next day.

Xabregas – Show Reserve – Chardonnay – 2006 (17.5). Worked and complex. The palate is viscous with peach fruit. Vanillin oak adds complexity. On the palate, this is a bit hard to gauge, as the acid is very dominant right now. Nice texture and quality fruit. Toasty oak to close. Even better the next day.

Xanadu – Reserve – Chardonnay – 2008 (17.3). Almond and spice on the nose with supple oak support. The palate is closed but has a nice creamy texture. Complex and well worked, this needs a few years to blossom. Zesty acid to close.

Rosemount – Roxburgh – Chardonnay – 2007 (17.2+). Closed to start with. This is rich, textured and long. Excellent fruit quality here, a modern wine that has been well worked. Needs a few years to settle down, as the oak finish is a little clunky.

Singlefile Estate – Reserve – Chardonnay – 2008 (17.1). Closed to start. Pineapple fruit, typical of the Mendoza clone common in WA. The palate is attractive, with a rich nutty mouth feel. I felt the oak grip detracted from finish

3 Drops – Chardonnay – 2007 (17). Quite Burundian, with minerals and a touch of curry leaf. The palate is dominated by grapefruit, and has a spicy long finish. Fruit builds in the mouth. Lean now, will be better in a year or two.

Higher Plane – South by South West – Chardonnay – 2006 (16.9). Clean and ripe on the nose, this has some serious fruit. Well made, with pineapple to close. Could have had better oak use.

Singlefile Estate – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.8). Perfumed nose with creamy stone fruit and pineapple. The palate is clean fresh but closed, and the finish is long and quite tight. Perhaps a touch of sweetness to close (not a bad thing). The finish, but this may settle.

Vistamar – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.7). Really divided the room. I felt it was quite creamy and complex, with a palate that is textured and long. The acid swamps the fruit now. Melons, peach and nectarine to close. Worth a try at $10.

Xanadu – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.7). Subdued fruit, but complex and creamy. Nice citrus and nuttiness. The palate remains very acidic, tight and long. Give it lots of air.

Xanadu – Next of Kin – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.6). Clean and fresh on the nose with vibrant, zesty fruit. The palate is quite long with musk, grapefruit, cinnamon and spice. The wine is lean and modern and nicely worked.

Plantagenet – Omrah – Chardonnay – 2008 (16. 5). More complex than some unwooded chardonnays. The palate is quite long and bright. Some almond meal to close. Good stuff for an unwooded wine.

Hardy’s – The Gamble – Chardonnay/Pinot Gris – 2008 (16.5). Did not show much on the nose, but the palate is full of fruit. The pinot gris adding significant viscosity to the palate. Quite long but lacks focus. Why the blend?

Chardonnay – New Release

5th July 2009

Tasted

Results

Vasse Felix – Heytsbury – Chardonnay – 2007 (18+) Touch of curry leaf to the minerals that dominate the nose, with cashew paste adding complexity. Creamy and textured palate with a silky mouth feel. Excellent finish and very long. Shy now, but has good potential. Oak adds to finish. Very good fruit. Terry thought the tropical/pineapple fruit was typical of the mendoza clone. Will get even better.

Palmer – Chardonnay – 2006 (18). Closed, but hints at complexity. The palate is textbook Chardonnay – mealy, creamy, complex and seamless. The finish is long with lemony acid. Excellent mouth feel and weight. Not cheap, so perhaps the Heytsbury is a better buy.

Millbrook – Limited release – Chardonnay – 2007 (17.9) Creamy and complex nose. Fantastic palate on this. Creamy, complex and textured. Seamless and very fine. Lovely oak to close. Crisp, long and linear.

Repertoire – Shim – Chardonnay – 2007 (17.5+) A real surprise hear. The nose is subtle and fresh, though a bit closed. On the palate this is clean fresh and vibrant with a zesty finish. There is a touch of sherbet. It will evolve over the next 2-3 years. Excellent fruit, balance and persistence in a restrained style.

Clairault – Estate – Chardonnay 2006 (17). Closed and quite dumb on the nose. Clean and fresh, with peachy fruit. More support from the others who found it lean, tight and intense. Not me, though it is good

Wise – Reserve – Chardonnay 2006 (17). Young, closed and complex. The palate has nutty fruit. A leaner style that has very good fruit, with a lean and drying finish. Acid in check

Hutton – Tryptich – Chardonnay 2007 (17) A Complex wine. the nose has minerals and a touch of earth. The crème brule finish overpowers the subtle fruit. Should integrate

Xanadu – Chardonnay – 2007 (16.8). A touch coarse by comparison.The palate is forward with lemony acid, but lacks fruit weight and complexity.

Vasse Felix – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.8). Quite complex on the nose. Leads with minerals and a nutty, almond meal texture. The palate is zesty and a bit firm now, and the oak grip is a touch obvious now. Should improve in a year or two.

Forester – Chardonnay – 2007 (16.5).

Leaping Lizard – Chardonnay – 2008 (16.5) I was the only supporter. Very young and pale. Clean vibrant fruit. The palate is clean fresh and a touch simple, with sherbet and vanilla brule to close. May develop ..

Pierre Naigeon – Bourgogne – Chardonnay – 2006 (16). Entry level white burgundy. quite typical, and worth trying if you are new to the style. (A Dan Murphy direct import)