Category Archives: Chardonnay

2012 Swinging Bridge Mrs Payten Chardonnay

From the Balmoral Vineyard which sits at an altitude of 870 metres in Orange, NSW. Matured in a combination of new and used French barrels for ten months. Initially it looked a little obvious but with some air it started to … Continue reading

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2012 Ross Hill Pinnacle Series Chardonnay

Interesting to see the enthusiasm this wine has whipped up since I first saw it. It impressed when I visited Orange but given that I only spent about five minutes with it before moving on to other wines in a … Continue reading

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2012 Spring Vale Reserve Chardonnay

Ex-Spring Vale winemaker David Cush has moved to Brisbane just in time to enjoy a few summer days with a high of forty degrees Celsius. Who’d want to live in Tasmania? Anyway, I’d say this is more of an autumn … Continue reading

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2011 Lethbridge Chardonnay

No shortage of personality in this offering from Ray Nadeson and the Lethbridge crew – and we’ve come to expect nothing less. A complex array of scents; apricot blossom, leesy bread and funkier grilled cheese, roasted hazelnuts, lime and nectarine. It’s rich … Continue reading

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2012 Snake + Herring Tough Love Chardonnay

The bottle tells me this is a multi-regional blend using fruit from the Margaret River and the Porongurup subregion of the Great Southern but the website seems to indicate that it’s 100% Margaret River. I’ll go with the bottle. Fuller flavours … Continue reading

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2012 Snake + Herring Hallelujah Porongurup Chardonnay

We all know that John Cale’s take on the song is the definitive version. And we all know that it’s time to give the song a long rest. Now to the wine. Tight, linear, insistent and also needs a rest … Continue reading

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2012 Tightrope Walker Yarra Valley Chardonnay

The words “Yarra Valley” are printed in the largest typeface on the label but the bottom right-hand corner bears Adrian Sparks’ name as winemaker. This seems fitting as I can see Sparks’ fingerprints on the wine but first and foremost it … Continue reading

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2012 Ravens Croft Chardonnay

I’ve just arrived home from a week reacquainting myself with the Granite Belt – high country in Queensland. There are still some poor wines made within the region and also many that are crafted at a purely commercial level to … Continue reading

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2012 Eden Road The Long Road Chardonnay

Linear stylings from winemaker Nick Spencer. It’s a different interpretation of Tumbarumba Chardonnay and one that I personally have a lot of time for. Tight and flinty yet it includes a textural mise-en-scène of sensitive cedary oak, lees and some malolactic fermentation which fleshes out the mid-palate. … Continue reading

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Is Orange the New Black?

“Other people aren’t the scariest part of prison…it’s coming face to face with who you really are. Because once you’re behind these walls, there’s nowhere to run, even if you could run. The truth catches up with you in here…and … Continue reading

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