At a long weekend staying at Clearview Homestead recently, not only did I get to taste a regional selection of the 2020 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnays; a long afternoon of Californian Chardonnay (and international interlopers) – but also a quick spin around the regions of Australia, taking in (some of) the best Chardonnay from their 2019 vintage. Professional insights from two adopted sons: John Hancock and Larry McKenna – who also happen to be two of New Zealand’s very top Show Judges, as well as creators of some decent Chardonnay over the years. Not forgetting some words of wisdom from Tim Turvey – currently holder of Best Wine in New Zealand Trophy with his Clearview Estate Reserve. Host Gabor Sareczky could also be considered to know the occasional good Chardonnay when it hits his esteemed palate.
A few of these wines are new to me. We had the Tolpuddle and Leeuwin Art Series during the California Tasting, and are wines that I know pretty well, along with Giaconda, Orlando and Mosswood. Tolpuddle is excellent – the Art series not to my taste – getting praises I suggest on reputation rather than actual current deliciousness (OK shoot me, there goes my invitation to Halliday). Stuff like Dexter and Pierro is fresh tasting material, which I’m always keen for.
Onto the wines…
Bay of Fires Chardonnay (Tasmania) Elegantly complex on the nose, with grapefruit, apple, hazelnut, lemon curd, nectarine and vanilla. Sweet on the palate – tropical and with a ripe power. A hint of chalky minerality, with lovely taut line of almost saline acidity. Delicious texture and long pithy finish. 94pts
Tolpuddle Chardonnay (Tasmania) Smoky and flinty perfumes, with tangelo, sweetcorn, lemon peel and fresh sliced pear. Exquisitely simple and lean – restrained and focussed. An oyster-shell minerality and a silken texture with more weight to the satisfying finish. 93pts
Dexter Wines Chardonnay (Mornington Peninsula) Distinctive herbal, fennel/floral notes alongside the citrus and floral aromatics. Oak is subtle, balanced with a medium acidity. Palate is a little weaker than the lovely nose, but shows pepper and a green nuance of jalapeno. Juicy, lengthy finish. 91pts
Oakridge 864 Drive Block, Funder & Diamond Vineyard Chardonnay (Yarra Valley) Ripe and packing some heat, with tropical tones of melon, nectarine, citrus and hazelnut on the nose. Big, upfront and muscular into the palate. Smoky oak and a stony earthiness start to balance out the plush overtones as the wine settles. By the finish its pretty balanced. Hmmm. 94pts
Orlando Lyndale Chardonnay (Adelaide Hills) Vibrant on the nose, with a hint of flinty reductivity, white-fleshed nectarine, lemon peel, apple and roast almond. Precise and well defined, with a busy acidity, a nip of fruit tannin and some minerality. Oak is restrained. A generous texture rounds out a seamless presentation. 93pts
Bindi Estate Quartz Chardonnay (Macedon Ranges) White peach, tarragon, cashew, lemon rind and orange blossom on the nose. Quite ethereal, elegant and lifted, but no mistaking the underlying concentration and power. Characteristically minerally, with a crystalline, pithy tang on the tongue. Reminds me of Bell Hill (that’s good). Special. 95pts
Giaconda Chardonnay (Beechworth) Complex immediately on the nose, with smoky, flinty aromatics. Then lime marmalade, salted caramel, cashew, grapefruit pith, golden peach, hay and ginger. Big – deliberately so, and comfortable with that. Everything turned up to 10. Nice texture – custardy and soft. Good stuff. 94pts
Tappanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5 Chardonnay (Piccadilly Valley) Fresh, youthful aromatics of white peach, brioche, fig and cinnamon. Delicious crunchy ripeness, and a lively acidity gives excellent line and length. There’s a chalky, aspirin-like minerality to the palate that is appealing and balances the toasty oak well. Complex, seamless finish. 94pts
Moss Wood Chardonnay (Margaret River) Straight-up opulence on the nose – generous, bright and enticing. Nectarine, cashew, pear, melon and satsuma peel. Not as powerful on the palate though, a bit broad and subdued. Lots of oak, and a medium acidity keeps it afloat and there’s a lovely nutty, caramel finish. 92pts
Xanadu Reserve Chardonnay (Margaret River) Pear, fennel, red apple, lime zest, green crushed herbs and honeysuckle aromatics. Tense and driven into the palate, with a pristine, linear acidity. A taut, coiled spring of a wine, still coming out of its shell. 91pts
Flame Tree Chardonnay (Margaret River) Simple, appealing perfumes on show – peach, nougat, dried lime, brioche and grapefruit. Pithy, with some savoury elements to counter the lush fruit – green olive, preserved lemon and an apple-skin tannin. 90pts
Pierro Chardonnay (Margaret River) Pink grapefruit, lime curd, sage, sweetcorn, almond and flower-power. Lovely concentration and intensity with pithy pure acidity that cuts straight through. Coiled and intense, with impressive muscle. A mealy, glossy, texture that has a little mineral and fruit tannin grip. Yum. The best for last. 96pts
So – question – Like, or don’t like? No problem reaching for a second glass for any of these. The top examples are easily up there with the best of anything on show over the weekend – including Bell Hill, Helio, Riflemans and Clearview Reserve from NZ; Ramey, Kistler and Aubert from USA; and the Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru.
Margaret River seems like a winner in terms of location. The acidity-meets-tropical trick that wins my heart is apparently quite a common thread in top tier Aussie Chardonnay! Nothing on show here was overly blousey, and there’s a nice line of minerality in the top examples, that is another factor in my ratings of interesting Chardonnays (of the world). One of the key outcomes after this is a new desire to get over the ditch and explore – which is a good sign when wines inspire anyone to do that!
