Category Archives: Chardonnay

2013 Xanadu DJL Margaret River Chardonnay

100% wild barrel ferment, 20% new, nine months maturation in said French oak, lees stirring. Entirely Gin Gin clone. Admirable freshness given just how flavoursome it is. Brown pears, melons, lemony-grapefruit acidity. Ginger and vanilla porridge with a drizzle of … Continue reading

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2012 Killerby Margaret River Chardonnay

Killerby have failed to impress me in the past. Nothing has changed with this wine. Sweet tropical fruit, very little definition. Devoid of purpose in the mouth. Creamy oak and lees. Short. Amorphous and unremarkable. Getting awfully close to flaccid. … Continue reading

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2013 Oakridge The Parish of Gruyere Chardonnay

Coles exclusive. Certainly on the fruity side for an Oakridge Chardonnay. Almost precocious. Still possesses minerally acidity and trademark phenolic crunch. Hints of pineapple with melon and peach. Honeycomb, caramel and a slight syrupyness. Very spicy, slightly biscuity. Interesting to … Continue reading

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2012 Clarence Hill Chardonnay

From the Adelaide wine region. I can’t give you anymore detail. Lots and lots of melon, canned peaches, cheap oak and vanilla with very forced citric cut. Rough. Feels industrially made. 82 Region: Adelaide Alcohol: 13.0% Closure: Screwcap Price: $18 … Continue reading

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2013 Snake + Herring Tough Love Chardonnay

Incorporates fruit from both the Margaret River and Porongurup areas of Western Australia. Perhaps slightly more generous than the previous vintage. Light funk on the nose. Nectarine, lime and spiced pears are supported by a restrained veneer of oak. Hints … Continue reading

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2005 Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Chardonnay

Purchased on release and cellared at Wine Ark, then brought to my humble abode and shared by a friend. Quite simply this is what wine is all about. I would have been grateful had it turned out to be a … Continue reading

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2013 Rorschach Wine Co. Chardonnay

A new player on the Mornington Peninsula. Great packaging. And that’s what matters. Solids funk, yoghurt and cheese lees with a chunk of slightly raw yet biscuity oak. The fruit is fresh and vital underneath; Nashi pear, peach, nuts and … Continue reading

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2012 Evans & Tate Redbrook Margaret River Chardonnay

A worked style with the intensity of fruit to match, not to mention a girder of acidity that is unimpinged by malolactic fermentation. Grapefruit, oatmeal, shortbread, spiced pears and lime. Leesy, nutty and mealy yet remains detailed. Lingering woodspice and … Continue reading

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2013 Chapel Hill The Chosen Gorge Block Chardonnay

Not a lot of worthy Chardonnay coming out of McLaren Vale. Battle of Bosworth have managed to make a success of it in good years as have Chapel Hill. By and large the region is simply to warm. Preserved lemons … Continue reading

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2012 Xanadu Margaret River Chardonnay

If writing tasting notes or trying to promote discussion and debate in wine has taught me anything, it’s that the idea of what constitutes ‘boring’ is even more subjective than individual tastes. Notes are dismissed by self-satisfied consultant sommeliers because … Continue reading

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