Barossa 14.5% Screwcap $30
Despite wine producers and wine media (rightfully, in my opinion) embracing more balanced styles of Chardonnay – and I said balanced, they don’t have to be lean – there are still many consumers who miss the old days of brassy fruit and plenty of oak. If they are willing to forgive a number of imperfections then this may well be the wine for them…but it is most definitely not a wine for me.
Yellow peach in syrup, fresh cream, grilled nuts, butterscotch and caramel. It’s a big wine with heat attenuating a spicy oak finish. There’s a little citrus accented acid but not really enough to focus the wine. Thirty bucks is a real stretch here. Still, I’d be interested to see if there is a market for it.
Winery website- www.linfieldroadwines.com.au/
Interesting. What usually turns me off Barossa (and McLaren Vale for that matter) Chardys is their lack of natural acidity – they just never seem to taste fresh and are likely to fall apart in 2-3 years.
Mike- In a general sense, I agree (if we exclude Eden Valley from the Barossa, and I always do). Having said that I tasted a 2007 Bethany Chardonnay that had some lemon freshness to it just last year. Not a great wine, but acceptable.
Chaple Hill's Gorge Block Chardonnay from 2009 made me reassess what the variety was capable of in McLaren Vale. Beautiful wine, excellent structure and real aging potential.