Screwcap, $30
I think this will be quite a divisive wine – Hunterista’s (those who take a likening to the flavours of the Hunter Valley + its wines) like myself will probably dig it, but for those who are looking for the mealy, fine flavours of cool climate Chardonnay or indeed the minerality of Burgundy & Chablis should turn off now. It’s a great Hunter Chardonnay, but if you put this in a lineup of Chardonnay from around the world, its broad, toasty lemony characters & dry palate would probably be panned by all and sundry.
From a warm year in the Hunter, this underwent no malolactic fermentation and spent just 6 months in oak. Hooray! The colour is bright golden yellow, like a pale version of post Berocca wee. This follows onto a nose of lemon, toastiness, whipped butter + bright Chardonnay fruit. The hint of straw in there always screams Hunter Valley to me and I think many will be turned off by this.
The palate follows this almost perfectly, with the lemony, toasty fruit filling out the front palate before the back end tightens up considerable. I love that about Hunter Chardonnay – they are warm climate wines, but always have such surprising acidity. The palate finishes dry with some alcohol warmth.
Having tasted this label with a few years under its belt I can highly recommend the power of bottle age to make it even more complex. This is no exception. Hunterista’s should buy a bottle as a matter of course. 17.5 (though it would probably get caned and receive a 14 in a wine show).
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