Fleurieu 13% Screwcap $14.99
I recently had the chance to visit the newly refitted Wine Experience in Rosalie and taste some of their wares with owner/manager Michael Nolan. The store specializes in Boutique wines and quality cleanskins. And no, that is not an oxymoron. The cleanskins Michael stocks are not to be confused with depressing walls of $2-6 nasties that occupy space in the stores of the duopoly here in Australia. They are region specific and made by talented wine makers.
I had a look at 4 over the course of the day and each was not only excellent value, but extremely good full stop. This Chardonnay from the Fleurieu was one of the star performers, expressing some developed notes but retaining a real sense of freshness & vitality.
It’s a worked style with the quality of the French oak immediately noticeable, although the fruit has soaked it up beautifully. Smelling of lemon/citrus, grilled nuts, pinenuts and some short crust pastry, it reminded me of many of the better Macons I have tasted in some ways. Texturally there is subtle interplay between aged buttery notes, a touch of mealiness and some lovely citrus based acid. The fruit flavours are mostly in that citrus realm with some melon characters on the mid palate before it heads back to a very long grapefruit, lemon and spice finish.
You’d be hard pressed to find a Chardonnay this good at under $20. In fact, I couldn’t think of one when I tried.
Wine Experience website- http://www.wineexperience.com.au/default.asp