The inaugural Yarra Valley Chardonnay reflects the 2013 vintage. It was a warmer year which brought richness, but much of the blend was picked early, keeping it fresh. The nose has citrus, nettle and nectarine. The palate is rich, but full of fresh flavour, and balanced by a bit of tang at the finish. There is very little oak influence, mostly matured on lees in older barriques.
Chardonnay, like any wine, is all about balance. Though in the case of Chardonnay finding the right balance is a matter of taste, and prone to fairly wild swings in fashion. Chardonnays I made 10 years ago were considered lean, angular, and acidic. The same wines today would be considered fat and blowsy by the vin-eratti.
I’m not going to be drawn into the trend of making Chardonnays with Riesling-ish acidity, but something needs to hold the palate together, keeping it from being too fat. The key for me is phenolics (the tannins of white wine is the easiest way to explain it), which give the wine structure, and cut through fatty food in a more elegant way than acidity in my opinion.
Anyhow, very happy with the first release, I hope y’all enjoy plenty of it!