Christmas is a time of being busy, hence a lack of updates.
What’s been sitting on my “to-blog” list for a while is a recap of the highlights from a chardonnay line up a few weeks back: kind of appropriate because as the calendar makes its way into the business end of the festive season, chardonnay - along with beer and G&Ts - becomes one of my drinks of choice. Lightly chilled, the current stream of more refined, elegant and not-as-oaked chardies on the market are just as enjoyable on their own or with the lighter style of food we Australians enjoy over the summer.
I’ve also had a chance to taste most of the marquee Margaret River producers’ ‘06 chardonnays and its fair to say that while the late vintage could prove challenging for reds, it could turn out to be one of the great chardonnay vintages in recent memory.
Devil’s Lair Chardonnay 2006: Fragrant coconut on nose. A nicely medium-bodied wine with great texture. Juicy apple and stonefruit flavours with a shade of the coconut promised on the nose that finish long and juicy. An impressive follow-up to the awesome ‘05 and very much in the same stripped-back, minimalist style. 17. 2005 review
Tyrell’s Vat 47 2005: Dry and intense with a squeeze of lively acidity to give it real grunt. The palate is powered by peaches and tropical fruit that work their magic to create a tasty and succulent mouthful of flavour that finishes long with a burst of nut rounding things off. 17
Tyrells Vat 47 1996: The black sheep of the tasting, especially when you’re not expecting an older example of chardonnay to be snuck into the line up, but enjoyable never the less. Slightly polarising and perhaps offputting aromas of dry, salted fish but as a drink, an agreeable rounded ball of texture, nut, earthiness and salt with a little more nut thrown in the mix with all things nutty dominating the lengthy finish. I liked, though some weren’t as impressed. 17.5
Picardy Chardonnay 2006: Judging by the number of times I’m alone in my praise for it, I think I’m just going to have to come to grips that some people aren’t going to like Picardy chardonnay, especially when tasted blind in a line-up. This had all the same things going for it: gentle vanillin oak teases the nose, gorgeous “mealy” texture, attractice medium-weight cool-climate flavours of nectarine, pink grapefruit and stonefruit arranged neatly on a persisitent and juicy palate. Impressive length too. 17
Tappanappa Tiers Chardonnay 2006: Aromas of orange zest play the role of curtain-raiser to a mouthful of chardonnay bliss that has quickly established itself as one of the nation’s best. While the palate is a glorious combination of citrus and nut, these components are woven in such a manner to create a softly-textured and juicy flavour profile that last and last. 17.5+ 2005 review
