Australia's Premier white grape, Chardonnay was given a platform at the Chardonnay Tasting run by the Irish section of Wine Australia and presented by Jane Boyce MW. (16/9/08)
Not an event for paid up members of the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) Club - or was it?
The tasting proved to me (again!) that Chardonnay is not a one dimensional wine but in fact is one of the most versatile of grapes. It also showed that Aussie Chardonnay is not one dimensional either - illustrating that Australia has distinct regional differences in the Chardonnay it produces and a variety of vineyard and cellar techniques to ensure a spectrum of flavours.
All wines were tasted blind to remove any pre-conceptions.
Highlights of the tasting were:
Jacobs Creek Chardonnay 2007 - showing admirable restrained use of oak, good fruit concentration and balancing acidity. One downside was it was a little short but still great value at the price!
Wakefield Promised Land Unwooded Chardonnay 2007 - An onoaked Chardonnay from South Australia with both apple and melon flavours leading to a nice balance between rich and refreshing fruit flavours.
Stonier Chardonnay 2005 - Along with the Jacobs Creek the best value wine shown. From the cool Mornington Peninsula region - a complex wine showing pear, melon, citrus and attractive nuttiness from lees stirring - use of oak very restrained as the wine uses mostly second hand barrels.
Of the top tier wines the Yerring Station Reserve 2005 from Yarra Valley showed well with Burgundian complexity and Penfolds Yattarna 2002 (their white equivalent of Grange) showed remarkable freshness for a wine made 6 vintages ago
So go on you ABC's give Aussie Chardonnay a whirl - or even if like me you are a big lover of Burgundian whites - you might be pleasantly surprised by what you discover!
