Brown Brothers Patricia Reserve Chardonnay 2001
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At Brown Brothers, located in northeast Victoria, mainland Australia's most southern wine region, the focus has always been on the winery's roots and the quality in the bottle. This philosophy is embodied in the company's motto "Nothing but the wine."
Brown Brothers owns 1,450 acres of vineyards and sources its grapes from five sites situated across a variety of climate, terrain and soil. These vineyards range from cool, high altitude areas to warm, dry valleys, allowing the winery to identify the perfect microclimate in which to nurture each varietal.
In 1989, Brown Brothers launched its pioneering Kindergarten Winery to mark the 100th anniversary of the family's first vintage. An enologist's dream, this state-of-the-art mini-winery is devoted to developing new viticultural techniques, enabling the winemaking team to experiment with several small batches of different grape varieties from various vineyard sites.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A large, climatically diverse country with incredibly diverse terrain, producing just about every wine style imaginable, Australia has a grand winemaking history and some of the oldest vines on the planet. Both red wine and white wine from Australian are wildly popular and beloved. Most of Australia's wine regions are concentrated in the south of the country with those inland experiencing warm, dry conditions and those in coastal areas receiving tropical, maritime or Mediterranean weather patterns. Australia has for several decades been at the forefront of winemaking technology and has widely adopted the use of screwcaps, even for some premium and ultra-premium bottles. Thanks to the country’s relatively agreeable climate throughout and the openness of its people, experimentation is common and ongoing.
Shiraz is indeed Australia’s most celebrated and widely planted variety; Barossa Valley leads the way, producing exceptionally bold and supple versions. Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia's second most planted variety, can be blended with Shiraz but also shines on its own particularly in Coonawarra and Margaret River. Grenache and Mourvèdre are also popular, both on their own and alongside Shiraz in Rhône Blends. Chardonnay is common throughout the country and made in a wide range of styles. Sauvignon Blanc has recently surged in popularity to compete with New Zealand’s distinctive version and Semillon is often blended in Margaret River or shines on its own in the Hunter Valley. Riesling thrives in the cool-climate Clare and Eden Valleys. Sticky-sweet fortified wine Rutherglen is a beloved regional specialty of Victoria.