Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Classic notes of lightly toasted nuts and grilled fruit appear on the nose of the 2019 Chardonnay. It's round, ripe and expansive in the mouth, a medium to full-bodied cavalcade of ripe pear, melon and citrus, all framed by hints of classy French oak. With a rich, velvety feel and ample length on the finish, this is a truly fine example of Australian Chardonnay.
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.
Comprised mainly of boutique, family-owned and operated wineries, Geelong is one of the cool coastal wine-growing regions of the Port Phillip Zone of Victoria. Here the elevation and proximity to sea breezes—similar to Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and the southern part of Gippsland—allow the region to produce remarkably vivid Chardonnay Pinot Noir. The elegant Shiraz wines from Geelong also attract attention.