About this WINE
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
This is a Chardonnay unlike most examples from Australia and stands as another Hunter Valley gift to the wine world. Much closer to Chablis than Chassagne, it is delicate, light, intricate and restrained. Aromas and flavours of oyster shells and lemon juice start things off with weightier peaches and toast introducing more minerals on a precise finish. It’s arrestingly good.
This vineyard block was first planted in 1908 and the vine-stock continues to this day with new cuttings from these very old vines contributing to this wonderful Hunter Valley Chardonnay. Hand-picked grapes are basket pressed then, fermented in one year old oak barrel, followed by two months maturation in oak and lees ageing in stainless steel.
Richard Veal, Australian Wine Specialist
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