One can’t help but get the feeling that this is attempting to be Chablisesque. And I’ve never encountered an Australian wine that tastes like Chablis.
Skinny, and positively bristling with slightly green acidity. Flavour is light on and centres on citrus with some honeydew melon through the mid-palate. Negligible if any oak. The finish is modest and snaps back to that simple acid profile. It feels like an early-picked example and not a particularly successful one. May find favour among those who don’t like Chardonnay. 85
Region: Granite Belt
Alcohol: 12.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $20
Tasted: May 2014
2011 Ocean Eight Verve Chardy was nigh on a dead ringer for Chablis. Loved that wine muchly.
It’s a terrific wine and I do understand the reference point but I just don’t see it as Chablis. I’m more than happy with people to disagree with me though.
I understand that it is not Chablis because obviously it is from Aus, but nonetheless it does remind you a lot of the flavour profile of a Chablis. Not that I am necessarily comparing it on a qualitative scale as some do with our red wines ie. Barossa Shiraz VS 1st growth Bordeauxs, etc.
Certainly. The comparisons are there to be made without implying an exact resemblance. Perhaps Australian Chardonnay has reached the point where its numerous unique qualities can be compared to the ‘Old World’ without being overshadowed? I’ve written that an Aus Chardonnay is Chablis-like, even though it’s something I used to fight against. One could even argue that a degree of protectionism is apparent if we look down on these comparisons – as if to suggest that the act of suggesting that certain attributes of an Australian Chardonnay trigger memories of Chablis is somehow to admit that this country’s expressions are ‘less than’….
It’s an interesting proposition, at least to me.