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Scarborough Blue Label Chardonnay 2009

20 Aug 2010

Though just as generously flavoursome as its Yellow Label sibling, this wine is made in quite a different style, more aligned to the contemporary idiom. There's no new oak, its fruit is crisp and fresh, its complexity apparently lees-derived with only partial malolactic fermentation.

The nose is crisp, flinty aromas overlaying white nectarine and some funk, possibly sulfurous in nature. Its impact is savoury and rather chiselled; this doesn't present as an especially buxom style. But there's a nice depth to the aroma that prevents it from being an exclusively high toned aroma profile.

The palate shows some richer fruit alongside a continuation of the nose's savouriness. Entry is very flavoursome, an initially crisp mouthfeel becoming glossier and fuller towards the middle palate. A nice array of fruit flavours fans out here; there's citrus and peach in equal measure, with just a hint of butterscotch. Mouthfeel is especially interesting, showing good texture and detail in a contradictorily soft package. A fresh herbal twang asserts through the after palate. The finish is sharp and lengthy.

An attractive style, well executed and priced.

Scarborough
Price: $A19
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Scarborough Yellow Label Chardonnay 2007

9 Aug 2010

Chardonnay, let alone Hunter Chardonnay, is hardly at the vanguard of vinous fashion, so one could be forgiven for greeting this Scarborough wine a shrug. It pays to remember, though, the Hunter has a special place in the history of Australian Chardonnay, and continues to be the home of two of Australia's more sought after peaches: the Lake's Folly white and Tyrrell's Vat 47. Scarborough is something of a Chardonnay specialist, having earned an enviable reputation for this varietal, so I approached this wine with high expectations.

The nose is fresh and clean, showing aromas of butter, peach, a little bit of minerality, perhaps a herbal twang and some smokey toast. Complex, then, but its buttery balance speaks more of enjoyment than analysis. I like that the oak is subdued, the wine appearing to rely more on fruit character and other forms of winemaking input (some lees work, I suspect) to achieve its aroma profile.

The palate takes a step up in expressiveness, being quite rich and full-flavoured. Entry is strikingly flavoursome, a nice spectrum of peach, citrus and butter notes caressing the tongue and paving the way for a middle palate that is quite flooded with fruit. The flavours are very clean at this point, showing good definition and shape, supported by easygoing acidity. I feel this wine's textural dimension, though, isn't quite balanced, being too reticent and consequently somewhat overwhelmed by the fullness of the fruit flavour. I'd like to feel a bit more mealiness on my tongue on the mid-palate, which would add more sophistication to the palate structure. The after palate does offer a bit more in this regard, and this helps carry the wine through a finish that seemed a bit hot to me.

Lovely fruit here, made in a gloriously unfashionable style that I admit to enjoying more often than not. It's not over the top, simply generous and warm. Very well priced.

Scarborough
Price: $A21
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Ten Minutes by Tractor 2008 single vineyard wines

4 Jun 2010

Recently, the very straightforward General Manager of Mornington Peninsula-based producer Ten Minutes by Tractor, Chris Hamilton, asked me to write some tasting notes for the winery's use. I mention this both by way of disclosure and to make a particular observation. When I talked with Chris about the brief, I assumed he wanted the typically concise, descriptive notes one often sees attached to wine marketing material. Instead, he asked me to write in the style of my notes on this site.

When I write for Full Pour, my intent is far from commercial and so, I believe, are the resultant notes. So it fascinated me that a producer might want to commission similar material, complete with the extravagances of length and style in which I often indulge.

It pleases me to note all the wines tasted were good. The single vineyard labels, however, stand out as the most authentic representation of what Ten Minutes by Tractor is doing. I tasted two Chardonnays (Wallis and McCutcheon) and three Pinot Noirs (Wallis, McCutcheon and Judd). All vineyards are in the Main Ridge sub-region of the Mornington Peninsula, just ten minutes away from each other as the tractor flies. The material provided to me included copious information about vineyard elevations, clones, viticulture and winemaking. The approach strikes me in general as somewhat obsessive, and in particular as striving towards an understanding of differences between wines wrought by specific variables between vineyards. This is the mad scientist approach to the aesthetics of wine, and I love it.

These notes are my own personal write-ups, different from those provided to the winery for is use.

Wallis Vineyard Chardonnay 2008  

Instant cool climate Chardonnay with a fireside warmth twist. The aroma shows crushed rocks, lean oak, oatmeal and predominantly grapefruit-like citrus. It's quite savoury and austere in a way, but there's a glimmer of enticing warmth at its core, like a candle shining in the midst of a winter snowstorm. I think this flows from a real funkiness to the aroma, something slightly off-center and quirky, that adds humanity to what can sometimes be a rather robotic Chardonnay style.

The palate trades on this tension between cool collectedness and a flavour profile that teases with its darting cuddliness. It's all fine and poised, with a pleasingly slippery mouthfeel and the sort of detail that rewards slow drinking. Overall, this is a really subtle wine, low-key and humble, but full of interest too. Quietly seductive.

McCutcheon Vineyard Chardonnay 2008

Both different from and strikingly similar to the Wallis wine. This is altogether more powerful and direct, with an aroma full of thrust and parry, pure citrus fruit, spice and mealiness. Its power is well controlled, and if I were to characterise the aroma profile to set it apart from the Wallis, I'd say this is cooler, more chiselled, perhaps more detailed, certainly more masculine. Fascinating that viticulture and winemaking were essentially identical for both wines.

The entry shows a nice cut of minerality alongside more citrus and vanilla spice. There's a soothing caress of viscosity on the palate which balances out robust acidity and makes way for fruit flavours to express themselves. The after palate is full of pithy grapefruit and the finish shows really refreshing bitterness, in the most positive sense. I reckon this will get better over the medium term (5 years or so).

McCutcheon Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008  

One thing I noticed across all the single vineyard Pinots was their lack of colour density. The hues themselves are most attractive and fresh, but each wine is quite see-through, which I feel is one of the pleasures of this variety. I love how something so insubstantial-looking can be so powerful.

The nose here seems ideally balanced between varietal sour cherry and a catalogue of spices, damp earth and the sweetness of char siu. It's all quite seamless, moving through its modes with no bumpiness or pause. On entry, good intensity without heaviness. It's immediately complex, with seemingly all parts of the cherry (pulp, skin, pips) included in the lovely flavour profile. The middle palate introduces some sticky caramel before nicely textured acidity sweeps in to move one through the after palate. Grainy tannins adds to the mouthfeel and help with persistence through the finish.

For drinking now, my favourite of the three single vineyard Pinots, thanks to its beautiful balance.

Wallis Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008

If the McCutcheon is a dilettante, spreading itself across all its elements equally, the Wallis Vineyard Pinot is the specialist, diving deep into a particular expression of Pinot that is more mysterious and difficult to unravel.

The aroma's first impression is of thick impenetrability. There are layers of spiced wood, sour cherries, vanilla and undergrowth, all swirling to form a dense fabric of smells that is quite hard to tease apart. There's a lovely sappiness that arcs over the aroma too, which tends to unify the elements and provide some light.

There's slightly more fruit emphasis in the mouth, though it remains a seriously dark expression of cherry. It's concentrated and savoury, no one aspect dominating yet with the whole existing in a subterranean place, compact and firm. Texture is wonderful, with plenty of tannins emerging on the middle palate and continuing down the line, and a subdued acid line running the whole length. There's a dip in intensity as the wine progresses down its line and this, combined with the tightly held flavour profile, suggests the Wallis more than the other two Pinots will benefit from bottle age.

Judd Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 

This wine is tangibly different again from the Wallis and McCutcheon. One obvious difference from a viticultural perspective is this vineyard is planted to the 115 Pinot clone, as opposed to the others which carry MV6. 115 is known for its more straightforwardly fruity flavour profile, and this comes through into the finished wine.

A deeply spiced aroma profile that is nonetheless dominated by heady, ripe cherries and fresh plum pulp. More in-your-face than the other two wines, this is openly seductive in character. It's all curves and femininity, quite voluptuous really.

The way it enters the mouth is wild: an initial pause followed by a dramatic enlargement of scale that is quite surprising. After wedging your palate open, it supplies gobs of sweet fruit onto the tongue. The fruit character is very pretty, all maraschino cherries framed by attractive tartness. Some oak is present in support, and is well matched to the fruit. I just can't get over the physical aspects of this wine's feel in the mouth, though; this alone makes it worth experiencing, for its sensuality but also its sophistication. A very long finish.

Ten Minutes by Tractor
Price: $55-70
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Moppity Vineyards Chardonnay 2008

24 Apr 2010

Though this producer is based in Hilltops, the fruit for this wine was sourced from Tumbarumba. Curious region. It would have to be one of our lower profile regions, yet carries a reputation for exceptional Chardonnay (amongst other things), its fruit often ending up in premium Penfolds table wines, for example. It's a beautiful part of the world too, and part of me wonders how special a destination it might become should a critical mass of cellar doors ever be achieved. I can think of worse places to visit.

Anyway, to the wine itself, which is a good rendition of lean Chardonnay in a contemporary Australian idiom. I thought at first sniff it was quite worked, and it's true there's some winemaking going on, but as I've continued to smell this, its fruit has come to the fore, pushing past some mealy and lightly oaked flavours. There's white nectarine and a bit of grapefruit mostly, clean and fleshy.

The palate shows impressive power; it's at this stage I am prompted to reflect on the price of this wine and conclude there's an awful lot of value here. Real thrust onto the tongue, with preserved lemons and stonefruit flowing freely, followed quickly by some higher toned flavours, including roasted nuts and oatmeal. The point is, it's coherent and strong, with good presence in the mouth and a real sense of dashing and style. There's perhaps a lack of subtlety, an absence of light and shade, that separates this from the next tier of wines. But what's here is so convincing, it's hard not to enjoy.

A really worthwhile wine.

Moppity Vineyards
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Petaluma Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2005

4 Apr 2010

Q: What do you do in the event of an earthquake?

A: Well, if you're me, you quickly check to make sure none of the wine fell over and broke (it didn't) and then grab the first bottle you can find to calm your nerves.

Thanks to the vagaries of the international wine trade, the local bottle shop had a dozen of these for a meager $14 a couple of months back. Sadly, the first two bottles were corked and nonrefundable, but this one appears intact.

Not visibly old at all - it still looks bright and clean - the nose tells quite another story, with hazelnuts, burnt matchsticks, and pineapple clotted cream cake coming together to suggest a wine that's been around for a few years. Rich, unctuous, and ever so slightly overwhelming (think California style) in the mouth, there's a thick seam of rich, buttery pear and roasted nuts to be found here. The finish is plenty long, with just enough acidity to make it easy-going enough to please most anyone, I reckon. In short, this would be the ideal wine to serve in Qantas business class: rich, stuffed with enough flavor to register at even thirty thousand feet, and fat enough to please folks who don't enjoy their wine unless it's got a certain sense of luxurious, hedonistic plushness to it.

The only thing I am is surprised: I love Petaluma's riesling and viognier, both of which are wonderfully expressive and full of character - and yet this wine seems a bit vague (in the international style, at least). It doesn't compare well, I think. to the Grosset chardonnay (which is presumably made from fruit from the same general area)... but it is at least a surefire crowd pleaser. Shame about the dead tree stopper, though.

Petaluma
Price: $14
Closure: Cork
Source: Retail

Sorrenberg Chardonnay 2008

26 Feb 2010

Dinner with family in Melbourne on Friday evening was enhanced by the provision of this bottle. Thanks to my cousin Travis -- who continues the Coldrey line as far as an obsession with wine is concerned -- for his generosity in supplying all the evening's drinks. My first Sorrenberg Chardonnay and I'm favourably impressed.

A powerful, worked style that, in the first instance, is most notable for the richness of its fruit flavours. Nectarine, fig and some grapefruit all intermingle within an aroma that also throws a range of caramel and oatmeal notes. There's significant complexity and scale, but the confident, seductive aromas themselves are what draw me to this wine.

The palate follows through on all aspects of the nose, showing a forthright, complex range of flavours. Good presence and consistency along the entire line. A couple of points, then. Firstly, this isn't a wine for those fixated on the current vogue for lean Chardonnay styles. The lushness and luxe inherent to the fruit and style are quite contrary to a more minerally, austere expression of Chardonnay. And that's OK. Secondly, this is a wine to sip and savour, not necessarily to drink in large volumes. Certainly, I helped my dinner companions to finish our bottle with ease. But as I drank more, a cracked toffee note through the back palate became slightly dominant, pushing fruit and savoury characters out of the way to the detriment of the wine's overall balance. Still, a minor quibble over what is an impressive wine of some beauty.

Sorrenberg
Price: $NA
Closure: Cork
Source: Gift

Bloodwood Chardonnay 2009

21 Feb 2010

Not a lot of tasting (as opposed to drinking) these last few days. Tonight, while dinner is cooking, I thought I'd give this wine a go. It arrived during the week from the indefatigable David Cumming, who does PR for many Central Ranges wineries. My experience of recent wines from this zone has been variable, but this bottle is getting more and more interesting as I swirl.

A strong element of minerality, aided perhaps by some sulfur, dominates the nose, followed closely by flowers and quite complex fruit notes. The fruit edges towards stonefruit, with some pithy grapefruit too. It's quite a savoury aroma profile, challenging even, and evolves to show a hint of baked goods. The elements show a discordant relationship, never resolving cleanly, but constantly exchanging meaningful glances.

The palate, initially, seemed simple and slippery, with straightforward white peach fruit. It has quickly become complex and savoury, though, and to me a lot more interesting. The entry is quite flavoursome yet gentle too; fruit flavours seem to glide towards the middle palate on satin sheets. And if that sounds a bit tacky, it is, or at least threatens to be, until one realises on the middle palate there is a range of quite adult flavours on offer, and the mouthfeel has become more textured too. Rocks get thrown together as the wine edges towards the back palate, where a floral lift takes flavours towards a subtle, glowing finish of good length. Oak seems subliminal, winemaking equally simple. I feel like I'm tasting the fruit, and I like it.

Bloodwood Wines
Price: $A25
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Mike Press Chardonnay 2009

24 Jan 2010

Or: the art of the perfect quaffing wine.

At $8.33 per bottle, this wine positions itself squarely at the "everyday drinking" end of the market. This can be scary vinous territory, swinging unpredictably from surprisingly good to revoltingly cynical in the twist of a corkscrew. And it's fair to ask: what ought a wine to be at this price? I don't pretend to have an answer, but I know a good attempt when I taste one, and this certainly is a good attempt at the ideal quaffing white.

The nose shows alcohol and sweet basil, but mostly juicy white nectarine (including the skins). It's all quite simple and fresh, with little in the way of confectionary overtones, nor worked characters that might suggest a sense of obesity. The palate adds to these simple, attractive flavours by delivering a slippery, borderline syrupy mouthfeel that speaks of cost-effective luxury. Intensity is quite decent, and there's a surprisingly sophisticated streak of minerality running underneath all that peachy goodness. Indeed, this is the Hyundai Sonata of quaffing wines; aiming above its station and, for the time it takes to smell and swallow, more or less delivering. That it evaporates from one's memory almost as quickly as the dramatic impact of Avatar is quite beside the point. It's awfully fun while it lasts.

And isn't that what quaffing wines are all about?

Mike Press Wines
Price: $A8.33
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Gift

Casa Lapostolle Sémillon Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay 2007

21 Dec 2009

Yesterday, I met up with an old friend in Viña del Mar, and much to my surprise he delivered a stunningly beautiful wedding present: Chilean wine, palm syrup, peaches, and chocolates. Wonderful stuff - and now my task is to drink at least four bottles of the wine over the next 48 hours because if I don't I'll have so much luggage that I can't board the flight to Calama on Wednesday. Yikes! Thankfully, this is going to be a very easy task.

There appears to be a very, very light carbonation to the wine; at the bottom of the glass are tiny bubbles (if you're a Don Ho fan, feel free to sing along about now) and there's a very light spritziness on the tongue. The color is bright and clean; it's only on the nose where it gets interesting. It's a very savory wine, reminding me more of good Burgundy than white Bordeaux somehow, with a very slight sulfury note mixed in with yeasty bread and an appealing lemony note. My favorite thing about this wine is the slippery, rich, full palate that is wonderfully textural and mouthfilling; there's a slight spiciness to the finish with sprightly acidity as well. It may have smelled like Burgundy, but it's definitely more like a white Graves, wet stones and pastry cooked with lemon rind and cream, but also that spiciness that really makes it special.

All in all this is good stuff (and to me personally, it's also a reminder to stop drinking single varietal wines all of the time; blends like this seem much more complex and interesting, don't they?). Thanks, Felipe, for the bottle - I'm looking forward to the next ones!

Lapostolle
Price: $NA
Closure: Cork
Source: Gift

Kalari Chardonnay 2008

3 Dec 2009

My second Cowra Chardonnay for this evening; always fun to do some comparative tasting. Against to the just-tasted Cowra Estate, the balance of this Kalari is notably different, tending more towards a generous, peachier style, though still far from the sort of peaches and cream buxomness of old school, now-maligned Chardonnays.

The nose shows some vanilla ice cream oak along with a tiny bit of sulphur and not a lot of fruit. This doesn't sound great, but in fact it's attractive to smell, and the fruit is there, it's just bound up in the oak character at present. The palate is quite a different story. Here, the fruit flows more freely, an even mixture of white and yellow peach. On entry, sizzlier acidity than the Cowra Estate and a bigger presence in the mouth; this seems to present a bit more of everything across the board. The middle palate smoothes out with ripe peaches and cheap ice cream (you know, the ones that are more ice than cream), all underlined by lively, somewhat rough acidity that contributes level of sourness to the profile. The after palate thins out compared to what has come before, but the finish more than makes up for it with good continuity of fruit flavour and surprising length.

Another solid, straightforward Cowra Chardonnay, and one I might give a few months' further in bottle before drinking. These don't scale great heights but nor do I believe they set out (or need) to, as they present attractive fruit in a food-friendly package. Good value drinking.

Kalari
Price: $A17
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Cowra Estate Chardonnay 2008

3 Dec 2009

Australia's oldest Chardonnay vineyard - so proclaims the label, even though an establishment date of 1973 reveals the relative youth of this variety's presence on the local wine scene. I've got a couple of Cowra Chardonnays on the table this evening, both reasonably priced (as a lot of Cowra wines appear to be).

On the nose, some smokey, burnt match overlays tight, white stonefruit notes and a bit of minerality. It was a bit yeasty at first but those funky notes blew off fairly quickly, leaving behind this lean, quite stylish aroma profile. No overt complexity, just balance and a bit of tension between notes that don't quite go together -- I mean this in a good way.

The palate follows a similarly lean route, emphasising the nose's attractive minerality and elaborating a little on the fruit character. A cool, clean entry that shows firm, fine acidity. Things don't get terribly flavoursome until the middle palate, where a mostly-savoury character relaxes a little on the tongue. Fruit begins to leak: grapefruit, white nectarine, very much a cooler climate flavour profile. This expands through the after palate, whose acidity shows some hardness but which nonetheless is well-shaped and straightforward. There appears a minimum of winemaking here and the consequently simple style comes as something of a relief; also, it seems well-matched to the fruit character. The clean finish is quite mineral and very refreshing.

Good value, utterly unpretentious Chardonnay.

Cowra Estate
Price: $A18
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Undurraga Reserva Chardonnay 2006

22 Nov 2009

This wine starts with an over-the-top slap of vanillan, spicy, smokey, sexy, fuck-me-that-smells-expensive oak that it never entirely sheds. But it works, and here's a lesson in ostensible imbalance tasting delicious and right.

Not to suggest it's all oak; far from it. There are lovely Chardonnay fruit flavours in the lean yellow peach spectrum, ripe but very well controlled. The aroma treads a nice line between full-on, quality oak and quite assertive fruit, neither of which is rich or fat. Rather, there's a nervy freshness to the nose that belies its constituent components; when was the last time you tasted a heavily oaked Chardonnay with peachy fruit that was shapely and taut?

The palate shows more spicy oak, delicious really, plus fruit that shifts between white and yellow stonefruit, and a bit of cantaloupe for good measure. The flavours are well-integrated and the wine is not massively worked, which shows good winemaking judgement; there's quite enough going here as it is. The middle palate is intense and hints at opulence before fine, integrated acidity whisks away any hint of flab or excess. There's an appealing freshness through the after palate and lingering finish, which is impressive considering the gold wristwatch oak continues to assert itself here as throughout this wine's line.

I had this wine with a robust, Vietnamese-ish salad and it stood up well to pungent flavours, including a very salty, acidic dressing. Excellent, if oak-dependent, winemaking, and a very tasty wine indeed. Good value too. Imported by Southern Cross Wine Merchants.

Undurraga
Price: $A23
Closure: Cork
Source: Sample

Balnaves Chardonnay 2008

16 Nov 2009

It's interesting to note this wine's up-market position in a range, indeed region, known almost exclusively for its red wines. At $A28 retail, it's hardly bargain basement territory, and the label goes to some effort to impress the drinker with the care (hand picked!) taken here.

The style is opulent, with fruit flavour in the yellow nectarine spectrum and no shortage of winemaker input. On the nose, rich aromas of ripe stonefruit and cream, soft cashew nuts and lightly smoked vanilla. Wannabe Chablis this is not, and for that I'm grateful, because it offers, instead of second-hand style, a balanced interpretation of heavyweight Chardonnay that seems to suit the character of the fruit.

The palate is as expected, combining a similarly rich flavour profile with a slippery-slide mouthfeel and what appears to be a bit of alcohol heat too (label says 13% abv). Nicely flavoursome entry, with subtle acid and a hint of minerality underlining nectarines that aren't quite as squishy as on the nose. The middle palate is where it's at, though, presenting a wash of quite complex flavour, including a decent contribution from spicy oak. There's a bit of crème caramel too, cushioning the assertive fruit and oak elements. Things start to fall apart a bit through the after palate, as all that rich, bold flavour becomes too much for the wine's architecture to contain. But it's a pleasant sort of disintegration, leading to a long, quite powerful finish of peach tarte tatin.

I'm wishing for a tad more minerality, structure and thrust through to the finish, which would make this wine's voluminous flavour profile nimbler and more elegant. Still, it's a solid wine and will be pleasing to those of you (like me) who enjoy bustier Chardonnay styles.

Balnaves
Price: $A28
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Sample

Curly Flat Chardonnay 2005

8 Nov 2009

There's a lot of chatter about how out of favour Chardonnay has become, and I'm reminded in all this of the difference between fashion and style. Good wines will always find an audience, even if the size of that audience fluctuates based on what's hot at any given time. The focus must remain on wines that draw out the best of their underlying fruit, and which retain an authenticity of style that transcends the fashionable buzz of the day. I can only speak for myself, of course, but the truth underlying each wine is what I crave most each time I open a bottle, and what disappoints me the most when it is absent.

I mention all this because the wine in front of me defies a few trends. As a fairly worked Chardonnay, it goes contrary to the trend towards "Chablis style" Chardonnay wines that, marketing material would have one believe, are the true antidote to a decade of flabby, butterscotch monsters. To the wine itself: the nose is pleasingly complex, with curious crushed leaf notes alongside white and yellow stonefruit, almond meal, Weet-Bix and vanilla. It all comes together really well, and seems to smell of itself rather than as a collection of components.

The palate is powerful and shapely, with especially notable intensity of flavour. On entry, immediate peaches and cream flavour, along with slightly rough acidity and a savoury almond note that runs the length of the palate. The middle plate evolves some further fruit sweetness and a bit of caramel delight, too. Mouthfeel is rounded and generous. It's here that things threaten to become slightly simple, because of the dominance of the fruit character (verging on pineapple) and the influence of some winemaking choices. The after palate, though, draws in a whole bunch of baked goods to add to the flavour profile, and this tempers the still-sweet fruit to a satisfactory extent. The finish is beautifully nutty and long.

Exceptional Chardonnay drinking well right now. You can keep your faux Chablis.

Curly Flat
Price: $NA
Closure: Stelvin
Source: Gift

Green Point Chardonnay 2005

23 Oct 2009

A lovely, pale yellow color, bright and clean, this wine looks like your garden variety cheap chardonnay. However, one sniff and you realize you're dealing with something a lot nicer than what the price would lead you to expect. It's got a lovely burnt matchstick, slightly sulfurous nose that makes you think Burgundy, not cheap Aussie imports. There are also hints of sea salt and butterscotch, spun sugar and lemon zest. Pretty awesome, to be honest.

On the palate, there's lively acidity leading the charge here, tempering itself quickly into a fairly weighty mid-palate with hints of marzipan and fresh-baked bread, again changing into lemon curd and shortbread on the finish. It's all extremely delicious, very much more-ish (as they say), and honestly one of the better chardonnays I've had in a while. In terms of the obligatory French comparison, this is more a Chablis than anything else, with nervy, lemony acidity dominating over any of the yeasty, oaky characteristics.

Entirely delicious and a ridiculous deal at just under $8 Australian, this is probably the best white wine deal I know of at the moment. They had a truckload or so at the San Diego Wine Company when I was there two weeks ago: if they still have some, now's the time to stock up. This could easily last another two to three years, so if you've got space, don't hold back.

Domaine Chandon
Price: $7
Closure: Stelvin

Lake's Folly Chardonnay 2008

23 Oct 2009

The first Lake's Folly Chardonnay under screwcap.

Characteristically Folly on the nose, with complexity aligned to a sense of balance and subtlety. It seems lighter and less opulent than the 2007, which was quite a powerhouse in relative terms. This, on the other hand, is veiled and delicate, with a similar aroma profile expressing itself on different terms. It also smells very young, with some overly bright edges that should fall back into the wine with a few more months in bottle.

The palate confirms a svelte silhouette; a taut balancing act between youthful structure and a flavour profile that aches to break free of its acidic confines. A sophisticated entry, tingling with fine acidity and a thread of classy minerality. Moderately intense peach, lychee and citrus fruit begins to emerge towards the middle palate, along with some subtle cream and caramel inputs. The mouthfeel follows a notable line, beginning with a textured burst of acid then transforming seamlessly to a glossy platform for the flavour components. It's fascinating. The after palate shows greater oak influence and a curiously leafy flavour, before the finish takes one on a peachy keen ride to deep satisfaction.

It's young and probably needs some time to show at its best, but I do love it. A light, bright expression of the Lake's Folly vineyard.

Lake's Folly
Price: $A55
Closure: Stelvin

Morandé Reserva Chardonnay 2006

22 Oct 2009

Sometimes, a string of busy days leaves you with few reserves towards the end of the week. I'm in that space right now, and wasn't sure what to open tonight. There's lamb on the stove, but somehow I don't feel like the robust Shiraz that, in most cases, would be an obvious choice. No, tonight I need some space, and am taking a chance on this Chilean Chardonnay. Another Southern Cross Wines import.

There's no lamer descriptor than "grapey" (ok, "smooth" comes close), but sometimes you just need to call it how it is. And this smells instantly, unashamedly like fresh grape juice. That's not all there is, but the point is it's fresh and sunny in ways one might ordinarily associate with Australian wine. There are certainly complexities to the aroma profile; a hint of wheat, a little nougat oak, and some more tropical fruit like papaya. But this wine's value seems to lie in the straightforward expression of its attractive fruit. So far so good.

The palate is unexpectedly acidic; in fact, it seems a little unbalanced to me and, as a result, quite nervy. On the plus side, it has good impact on entry, with a sizzling mouthfeel and bright, clean fruit. The line widens progressively until it reaches a mid-palate of quite gushy fruit, underlined by that chalky acidity. There's no shortage of flavour, including some oak and winemaking influence that is caramel-like in nature. The flavour profile itself is straightforward and attractive, tending to leanness in terms of its character. A lightfooted after palate leads to more reverberant flavour through the finish. The finish itself is a highlight, and goes on for much longer than it has any right to.

A lighter style, then. Structurally, I'm not convinced that it hangs together, due mostly to the character and volume of the acidity. The clean fruit flavours, though, keep me coming back. A good Summer white, and keenly priced.

Morandé
Price: $A20
Closure: Cork

Simply Sunshine White 2009

18 Oct 2009

From my perspective, this is a curio: an inexpensive white wine made for the German market. I was sent samples by the apparently indefatigable Leigh Gilligan, whose various ventures enjoy strong distribution, and seem to resonate strongly, in Germany. The interest for me, apart from the wine itself, is the marketing approach, which draws explicitly on Australia's reputation for "sunshine in a bottle" wine styles. While this approach is now hotly contested in the local industry, there's no doubt Australian wine is known in export markets largely for this type of wine, so if nothing else I'm eager to taste wines with a claim to representing the style and, hence, a certain face of the industry.

The interest in terms of what's in the bottle relates to a particular concept of wine at this price point, something Chris recently touched on. He described a certain kind of wine as "fermented grape juice beverage product;" drinks that are technically wine but stylistically about as far as you can get from the generally accepted definition. Of course, I'm applying a massive, snobby value judgement to this description, even though I have no desire or ability to argue with the enjoyment many gain from imbibing [yellow tail]. Then again, what I do have is a desire for authenticity at all price points, and I believe well-priced wine does not need to taste like an industrial, wine-flavoured beverage.

I'm vindicated in this belief by this wine, at least. It's not a secret Grange by any means, but it looks, smells and taste like real wine. It's easygoing, with bubblegum florals, a bit of sharp citrus and sweeter, rounder fruit that oddly reminds me of Lipton's peach iced tea. There are no varieties listed on the bottle, and from the aroma profile I thought there was some Rhone action in there, but no, it's mostly Chardonnay with a splash of Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. The palate is soft and cuddly. More peach tea, a hint of crisper florals and, well, not a lot else. So complexity isn't a high point, nor is it the aim I should imagine. Rather, this wine delivers generosity, a round mouthfeel of satisfying viscosity and perhaps just a hint of residual sugar to help it go down. It's a bit low in acid, which translates to a somewhat clumsy progression through the mouth, if not outright flab. But it's hard to argue with the tasty flavour profile here.

Great barbeque wine. Nicely done.

Simply Sunshine
Price: €5.45
Closure: Stelvin

Domaine Alain Chavy Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Clavoillons 2006

4 Oct 2009

With Burgundy, it's a truism that producers make all the difference. So, the same premier cru may vary wildly in reputation based on who has grown the grapes and made the wine. All of which seems sensible, until one places it on the context of terroir and the defining place Burgundy seems to hold in terms of this idea of wine. In the immortal words of Michael Veitch, there's a lesson in that for all of us.

Perhaps because I cleaned my bathroom today, I'm detecting a hint of Domestos Regular (the blue bottle) in the aroma of this wine, along with what I initially thought was some cork taint. Not a great way to start a tasting; it's just not one of those wines that emerges, fully formed, when it's first poured. Rather, it needs time to collect its thoughts. After an hour or so of air, funky cashew nuts, oatmeal, piercing fruit flavours that are both blossom and juice, and some toasty oak. Alain Chavy's wines tend towards restraint and delicacy, and that's very much the case with this wine too, which makes it quite elusive. Despite the complexity, what shines most on the nose is sharp, slightly sour fruit for which I'm struggling to find an appropriate descriptor. A cross between lemons and white stonefruit is probably the best I can do. No matter -- with enough time, there's a beguiling sense of harmony that is attractively sensual, beseiged by discordant minerality that never allows things to become too easy.

The palate is characterised by fresh acidity and good thrust. A really attractive entry that's surprisingly soft, with cashews and furry white peach flowing to a middle palate that shifts up a gear. Bang, there's an orange juice-like mouthfeel, delicious fruit that shows good intensity, and an overall sense of brisk efficiency. Funky oatmeal remains an underlying flavour component until the after palate, where fruit begins to take a back seat to this and a range of other nutty and mineral notes. A surge of these flavours carries through to the finish, which vibrates for some time.

This isn't a wine to lust after, as it asks you to work a bit and live with its idiosyncrasies. I wonder if falls between stools, stylistically; part of me wishes it were more expressive and softer. But then I take another sip and this tension between luscious fruit and nervy minerality seems very much of the essence. I'm almost convinced, in the moment, its vision of Burgundy is right. I'm very happy to debate it.

Domaine Alain Chavy
Price: $A81.40
Closure: Cork

Seppelt Grampians Chardonnay 2008

26 Sep 2009

Moyston, in the Grampians GI, is renowned as the birthplace of Aussie Rules, so it seems fitting on this Grand Final evening, as Cats supporters all over the country (including my family in Melbourne - hi Trav!) celebrate a hard fought win, that I open something with a connection -- albeit a ridiculously tenuous one -- to the game.

Interesting wine this one - there's no great intensity on the nose or palate, but it's made within a style that seems pitched above its station, and that makes it worthy of closer attention. It's tight and controlled, with delicate white stonefruit and a funky, cottage-cheese astringency on the nose. Some prickly minerality too; indeed, there's no shortage of things to note in the aroma profile, even if the whole feels like it's underachieving. This reminds me a little of Seppelt's Jaluka Chardonnay without the same level of fruit impact and certainly with less oak (not a bad thing).

The palate shows more prickly minerality, and I wonder whether there isn't a bit of sulphur in there too, contributing a savoury note and some pleasant funkiness. The fruit itself seems delicate, floral, a bit dilute perhaps. The after palate has the greatest presence, with a peak of fruit flavour and an appealing roundness of mouthfeel. A soft, gently fading finish that is deceptively long.

If the style is a bit aspirational with respect to the fruit, at least it makes for a thought-provoking experience. It's not a great wine in any respect, yet it has held my attention through the evening and continues to deliver interest with each sip. An artist in the making, perhaps. Good value.

Seppelt
Price: $A18
Closure: Stelvin

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