This wine starts with an over-the-top slap of vanillan, spicy, smokey, sexy, fuck-me-that-smells-expensive oak that it never entirely sheds. But it works, and here's a lesson in ostensible imbalance tasting delicious and right.
Not to suggest it's all oak; far from it. There are lovely Chardonnay fruit flavours in the lean yellow peach spectrum, ripe but very well controlled. The aroma treads a nice line between full-on, quality oak and quite assertive fruit, neither of which is rich or fat. Rather, there's a nervy freshness to the nose that belies its constituent components; when was the last time you tasted a heavily oaked Chardonnay with peachy fruit that was shapely and taut?
The palate shows more spicy oak, delicious really, plus fruit that shifts between white and yellow stonefruit, and a bit of cantaloupe for good measure. The flavours are well-integrated and the wine is not massively worked, which shows good winemaking judgement; there's quite enough going here as it is. The middle palate is intense and hints at opulence before fine, integrated acidity whisks away any hint of flab or excess. There's an appealing freshness through the after palate and lingering finish, which is impressive considering the gold wristwatch oak continues to assert itself here as throughout this wine's line.
I had this wine with a robust, Vietnamese-ish salad and it stood up well to pungent flavours, including a very salty, acidic dressing. Excellent, if oak-dependent, winemaking, and a very tasty wine indeed. Good value too. Imported by Southern Cross Wine Merchants.
I love that sort of oak. I'm a very classy guy ;)
You are bloody classy, it's true. Comparative tastings are so illuminating - we had this alongside a white Burgundy last night and they were so very different. The Burgundy tended to make this one seem a bit cumbersome, stylistically. Yet, on its own, and with food, it really worked.
The White Burgundy was very nice. Especially with more Smoked Salmon and Avocado.
I'm glad you enjoyed it. That avocado was quite lovely - Pinkerton, was it?
Yes - nice and buttery to compliment both the oily salmon and the chardonnay
I popped a bottle of this last night. Whilst I may not be able to so eloquently convey the Oak treatment as yourself Julian - an opening expletive never goes amiss in my books - I was rather charmed by the peachiness both on the nose and in the palate.
The Oak was there, but not slapping me around the head and I could actually taste the Chardonnay without being washed over by waves of unctuous butter.
Sometimes, only a four letter word will do. You know, like "nice" or "cool."
So yeah, nice wine this one - I agree the peachiness is delicious and fun and well judged in terms of the whole piece. Glad you enjoyed it too!