Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/122153
lastdrop new-age Chardonnay Patrick Haddock explains how australian Chardonnay became the flavour of the month again. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was Oak, and there was a lot of it. If your chardonnay didn't taste of wood there was something seriously wrong. Sound familiar? The precise reason that Australian chardonnay was so stratospherically popular in the beginning was its enormous fruit flavours enshrouded by tongue-splintering oak. It was the reason for its demise, too. As quickly as the style was accepted in the late '80s and early '90s, it took a nosedive in the early noughties when consumers ran away from the oak bombs that were putting potholes in their palates. Today, Australian chardonnay has never been in a better place. This has partly been fuelled by the reaction of winemakers to the overblown chardonnay styles of yesteryear and their efforts to win back the defectors who transferred their allegiance to sauvignon blanc. The chardonnay style shift can be attributed to winemakers travelling to do vintage in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as making the styles they want to. As any winemaker will tell you, chardonnay is the ultimate blank canvas to work with. It's actually quite neutral, so it's what you do to it that counts, and that can include everything from barrel stirring and resting the fruit on dead yeast cells, to choosing the right oak (whether French or Hungarian) and the size of the barrel that the wine will rest in. It's no wonder winemakers get excited about chardonnay – they can make their mark – but what has caused this enormous shift in style, and why is chardonnay suddenly so revered? Well, for starters, the oak has gone. Not completely, but the parodied vanilla/butter expression has been replaced by cleverly made wines where the fruit takes the honours (in some cases it's picked earlier) and the emphasis is on creaminess of texture, with secondary barrel characters providing complexity and depth. In other words, chardonnay is like a new book and its chapters are revelatory and groundbreaking. Welcome to the new world of chardonnay. start riding the new wave with these three chardonnays Battle of Bosworth Made with organic fruit from McLaren Vale, this wine has plenty of character. It's full of peach and melon fruit with subtle barrel characters, and the palate is well balanced with citrus and spicy oak. Lark Hill A classic modern chardonnay from Canberra with notes of apple and grilled nuts and a mineral edge. The palate is full of poised fruit flavours and cashew oak, with excellent concentration and length. Tarrawarra estate Reserve Patrick Haddock is a wine and food writer, blogger and communicator. Two of his children sleep in beds, the rest age in a cellar. The Yarra Valley continues to dominate with this glorious modern chardonnay. White peach, grilled nuts and citrus provide a sensory feast. It's a creamy, textured mouthful replete with poise and harmony. Visit: winingpom.com.au 37