Yarra Valley 13.0% Screwcap $35 Source: Retail
Just to reiterate, prices for retail/winery notes are what I paid, not RRPs. And I wish to acknowledge The Wine Front for bringing this wine, as well as many others, to my attention. It continues to be the best subscription based site for both consumer and wine tragic alike.
Ok, with that out of the way…This is a superb wine. A cracker, a diamond, a Champagne moment for Chardonnay. It’s the sort of wine I want to score because my descriptions will fail to sufficiently convey my admiration. In fact I’ll give it a 96+….
So now I’ve scored it, I feel under much less pressure posting my note. Nectarine, intense lemon and yes, coconut (it really, really works) with oatmeal and wheat. It smells layered and it tastes layered, but not over the top. Depth and definition with a long lemon finish and a little oak derived spice. This is not Burgundy nor is it Chablis. It’s just bloody good Yarra Valley Chardonnay made from great fruit by a rare talent; Dave Bicknell.
ps- The label is the one listed alongside the wine on the website. The actual label looks the same except, of course, it doesn’t read “2003 Cabernet Sauvignon”. It’s more accurate. Shame really because the rest of the site looks good.
Winery Website- http://www.yarraloch.com.au/