Peter Bourne GWT Tasitng Chardonnay

8 Danks street, Sydney
Tasted Tuesday, February 24, 2015 by chatters with 500 views

Introduction

A bucket load of Aussie Chardonnay at a stand up tasting with Peter. The wines were divided up into regions and represented a few of those tasted as part of the recent Gourmet Wine Traveller magazine tasting that Peter was on the panel of. I started at Tasmania then didn't refer to my tasting line up after that. Where possible I tried to taste from the back of the bottle in order to try and make it a bit more blind. This, as always, gave some interesting results. It's always interesting to see what comes out of blind or semi-blind tastings.

Flight 1 - Bracket 1 - Tasmania (6 Notes)

More lemon citrus here...yattarna was prob the best wine of the bracket.

  • 2013 Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay

    Australia, Tasmania, Coal River

    Aromas of spice over cream and some lemon citrus and slight blossom. In the mouth the wine is juicy tending to slightly tart with flavours of lemon over peach. There is slight spice here as well but encroaching bitterness and alcohol heat on the finish rather upsets things.

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  • 2013 Freycinet Vineyard Chardonnay

    Australia, Tasmania, Freycinet Coast

    On the nose dusty spices and slight sulphur over muted stone fruit. In the mouth the wine is a little flabby with a rather dominant sulphurous note. Nah.

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  • 2013 Hardys Chardonnay Eileen Hardy

    Australia, Tasmania

    Medium plus intensity aromas of cream, peach, sweet spice and butter. More of the same on the palate, travels long with some phenolic grip on the front of the mouth. As the wine finishes so the mid palate hollows. Hmm.

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  • 2011 Bay of Fires Chardonnay

    Australia, Tasmania

    Aromas of cream, butter, plentiful spice, slight vanilla notes over muted lemons. In the mouth the wine has flavours of lemon, butter and cream, front of mouth phenolic grip and the finish is quite dry.

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  • 2011 Dawson & James Chardonnay Tasmania

    Australia, Tasmania

    slight burnt/toasty notes, 'round' citrus aromas, butter, cream and a slight lemon jelly note. It's a little sour on the palate with lemon jelly flavours. The worked aromas do not carry to the palate. Medium length, quite simple in fact. Meh

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  • 2012 Penfolds Chardonnay Yattarna Bin 144

    Australia, South Australia

    On the nose the wine is obviously quite worked. Medium plus aromas of cream, butter, toast dominate lemon over peach fruit, slight blossom notes. In the mouth the wine has flavours of lemon over peach, very slight sulphur notes then intrude followed by front of mouth grip with the fruit persisting long. Despite it's obvious youth the wine is balanced. Nice

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Flight 2 - Bracket 2 - Adelaide Hills (5 Notes)

I found a common peach quality across all of these wines...the Petaluma was v.pleasant and the M3 a bit of a disappointment

  • 2012 Petaluma Chardonnay White Label

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

    Aromas of cream, peachy notes, spice, quite floral top notes and slight butter. In the mouth the wine has primary fruit flavours of lemon over peach then spice. It's quite juicy and carries long with a little bit of alcohol - which is non-intrusive - on the finish. Nice

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  • 2010 Tapanappa Chardonnay Tiers

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Piccadilly Valley

    Peach and spice over cream with some blossom notes on the nose. In the mouth the wine is juicy with citrus and peach notes then a very spicy kick comes through obliterating this. Some front of mouth grip. Okay. The fruit doesn't carry long enough for me.

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  • 2013 Grosset Chardonnay Piccadilly

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Piccadilly Valley

    Peach and plentiful spice, touches of blossom and cream. In the mouth the wine is a touch flabby with peach notes and finishes a little astringent. Meh.

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  • 2013 Shaw and Smith Chardonnay M3 Vineyard

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

    Peach, cream, butter, cedar, spice, oak…more of the same on the plates and a bit short for me.

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  • 2013 Penfolds Chardonnay Reserve Bin 13A

    Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills

    On the nose toasted nuts, butter, cream, almost biscuit, stone fruits, plentiful spice. In the mouth the wine has obvious spice flavours and is juicy, after the nose it's all quite closed and the palate is, unsurprisingly, grippy. Feels like it needs time but the lack of fruit coming through is bit of a worry.

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Flight 3 - Bracket 3 - Western Australia (6 Notes)

Margaret River and Great Southern. The vasse felix was the clear winner in this bracket for me.

  • 2011 Devil's Lair Chardonnay 9th Chamber

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    On the nose lemon, spice, cream, butter and toast. The wine is quite worked don the palate with cream, butter, oak to the fore…Lacks the citrus element most evident on the palate. Time?

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  • 2013 Fraser Gallop Chardonnay Parterre Wilyabrup

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    Aromas of lemon, spice, toasted butter with slight cream notes. In the mouth the wine has a lemon tang, it's quite sharp, then mid palate fur. The fruit very slowly diminishes but does carry with spice and butter joining. Hmm.

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  • 2012 Xanadu Chardonnay Reserve Margaret River

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    Worked notes with obvious aromas of oak, cream, dusty spice over perfumed notes and slight stone fruit. On the palate there are flavours of unripe peach which proves quite tangy, then a fair whack of alcohol heat. The wine finishes with a milky mouth coating quality. Not for me.

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  • 2011 Voyager Estate Chardonnay

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    Aromas of lemon over peach, quite perfumed with cream and slight toast & butter and some spicy notes. In the mouth the wine has flavours of lemon and spice, slight cream. Feels a little short. Disappoints after the nose.

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  • 2013 Vasse Felix Chardonnay Heytesbury

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

    On the nose there is lemon over peach, slight sulphurousness, very perfumed with a wash of almost tropical fruit notes, and some cedar. In the mouth the wine is juicy with flavours of sweet spice, lemon and peach. Textually it's quite broad with a very slight sulphur prickle and all carries long and harmonious on the finish. Lovely. very good.

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  • 2012 Singlefile Estate Chardonnay The Vivienne

    Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Denmark

    Medium minus intensity aromas. With agitation slight candy floss and sweet peach with some spice. More of the same on the palate a little tart, quite dry on the back of the palate. The spice grow and trends long. Hmm. Savoury. Perhaps it just needs time.

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Flight 4 - Bracket 4 - Orange (1 Note)

I must confess I was surprised there were no contenders from the Hunter Valley on show. The Philip Shaw was fairly mediocre for me.

  • 2013 Philip Shaw Chardonnay No. 11

    Australia, New South Wales, Central Ranges, Orange

    Aromas of cream, sweet spice, perfumed notes and stone fruit. On the palate it is a little muted, closed if you will, with slight peach notes and it finishes quite bitter. Not for me.

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Flight 5 - Bracket 5 - Yarra Valley (5 Notes)

The oakridge was disappointing. In fact the bracket as a whole performed a little less well than I'd hoped. The Coldstream Hills was the most interesting for me.

  • 2012 Oakridge Chardonnay 864 Funder & Diamond Vineyard Drive Block

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

    On the nose the initial impression is of sulphur and bonfires…with agitation it reveals some spice, oak and quite ripe stone fruit. In the mouth it is tangy but also quite bitter. In fact, it's not very nice at all. Perhaps a dodgy bottle? I have vague recollections of having this before and rather liking it. Hmm.

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  • 2013 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay Reserve

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

    Indian spice; almost crushed coriander seed, slight stone fruit - a sweet spiced peach note and notes of orange and orange blossom on the nose. In the mouth the wine is juicy and fresh initially then sizable spice and muted fruit. Plentiful front of mouth grip and it's a bit warm on the finish though it does carry long. Hmm. Interesting.

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  • 2013 De Bortoli Chardonnay

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

    The bouquet is cheesy and funky with slight sulphurous notes over perfumed peach and custard hints. In the mouth the wine is tangy with peaches in custard flavours slight front of mouth grip. Then a little spice encroaches and it's all quite broad on the palate...doesn't really work from me though.

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  • 2013 Seville Estate Chardonnay

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

    Plentiful spice, toast, slight meaty notes and quite tangy (if one can smell tanginess that is) with almost spiced apple baked in butter. In the mouth there is an initial apple and spice note but this is then ruined by bitterness and astringency on the mid and back palate for me. Nah.

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  • 2013 Giant Steps Chardonnay Sexton Vineyard

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley

    Spiced peach and cream, with toasted butter hints as well as some cedar. There is also a bit of prickle on the nose. More of the same on the palate, quite broad initially. Hmm.

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Flight 6 - Bracket 6 - Mornington Peninsula (2 Notes)

I liked both of these but, if push comes to shove, it would probably be the Montalto…

  • 2013 Yabby Lake Vineyard Chardonnay Single Vineyard

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula

    Chicken and lemon poached with thyme, butter and spice. In the mouth the wine is zesty with lemon, spice, it's quite rambunctious but drops quite quickly and finishes with a dry touch of sulphur. Hmm.

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  • 2012 Montalto Vineyards Chardonnay Estate

    Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula

    Aromas of cream, spice, lemon, sulphur and butter. In the mouth the wine is juicy with flavours of lemon and cream and slight butter then sweet spice. Worked but very long none the less. A touch of alcohol heat is non-intrusive. Hmm. Old school winemaking with new school fruit...I'm on the cusp of rather liking this.

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Flight 7 - Bracket 7 - Other Victoria (3 Notes)

Seppelt was the winner for me in this little bracket

Closing

A reasonably good chardonnay tasting…A lot of young wines here with a bit more sulphur than I usually encounter. The Vasse Felix shone though. A class above. Still young but incredible balance…after tasting I cheekily snaffled a glass and had it with a lump of brie and a wodge of bread. Glorious.

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