Chardonnay (Derwent Valley, Tasmania, Australia)
This was not an easy trip. We drove from the Margaret River wine region north to Perth, got a plane to Melbourne, changed planes and barely made the only flight of the day south to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania in the southeastern corner of the island and then drove west to the Derwent Valley region. It's quite cool here or so the Tassies (the name for the locals who live on the island) tell me year round, but rarely what we think of as cold. Temperatures as high as 25C/77F are quite rare as are those below about -3C/27F. It rains more than in many of the classic wine-growing regions of the world and the sun just doesn't shine that frequently. This climate will elicit a special acidity that may be anathema to lovers of bulk-produced California Chardonnay, but will resonate with those who tend to shy away from the grape.
So, why are we here?
We're here to drink the Chardonnay of the Derwent Valley, something we will not regret. The first thing we notice are the bottles. The labeling is quite pedestrian and not at all ornate, something that does just fine in much of the world, but not in the US of course where data tell us that more than 2/3 of wine purchases are made based on either the labeling or the catchy name. For that matter, however, that's not the people who are buying excellent wine. Today, we are going to have the pleasure of tasting some.
Among the keys to the wines here is the terroir. The soil is quite sandy, but the sand only covers the deeper layers of dark dirt, a mixture of a deep red and chocolatey brown showing us the iron oxides and coffee buried inside it.
Most Tasmanian wine is made in a French style. In particular, Chardonnay is typically aged in barriques, slightly smaller and somewhat more vertical in nature than typical wine barrels. The style here is largely to neither filter nor stir the juice as it spends normally 6-10 months on lees (dead yeast). The style here is to put the Chardonnay through partial malolactic fermentation, just enough to soften the acidity from the soil. A bit of the oak is typically new, but more than half is neutral (used at least twice previously).
On the nose, our Chardonnay today is quite vibrant. The combination of lemon and stone fruit is a bit unusual in Chardonnay, perhaps more reminiscent of an Alsatian Riesling. On the palate, we get a quite muscular Chardonnay. While it is luxurious on the palate, we might describe it as tangy on first taste. As the wine covers the entire palate, expect layered notes of lemon curd, quince, nectarine, and candied almonds and pecans.
We've been given two different foods today to try with our Derwent Valley region Chardonnay and we can't decide which we like better. The first is grilled pork chops prepared with a stone fruit glaze while the second is crayfish if your local (but crawfish or crawdads if you're from the bayou of Louisiana). Either way, these are excellent wines with a character all their own.
So, why are we here?
We're here to drink the Chardonnay of the Derwent Valley, something we will not regret. The first thing we notice are the bottles. The labeling is quite pedestrian and not at all ornate, something that does just fine in much of the world, but not in the US of course where data tell us that more than 2/3 of wine purchases are made based on either the labeling or the catchy name. For that matter, however, that's not the people who are buying excellent wine. Today, we are going to have the pleasure of tasting some.
Among the keys to the wines here is the terroir. The soil is quite sandy, but the sand only covers the deeper layers of dark dirt, a mixture of a deep red and chocolatey brown showing us the iron oxides and coffee buried inside it.
Most Tasmanian wine is made in a French style. In particular, Chardonnay is typically aged in barriques, slightly smaller and somewhat more vertical in nature than typical wine barrels. The style here is largely to neither filter nor stir the juice as it spends normally 6-10 months on lees (dead yeast). The style here is to put the Chardonnay through partial malolactic fermentation, just enough to soften the acidity from the soil. A bit of the oak is typically new, but more than half is neutral (used at least twice previously).
On the nose, our Chardonnay today is quite vibrant. The combination of lemon and stone fruit is a bit unusual in Chardonnay, perhaps more reminiscent of an Alsatian Riesling. On the palate, we get a quite muscular Chardonnay. While it is luxurious on the palate, we might describe it as tangy on first taste. As the wine covers the entire palate, expect layered notes of lemon curd, quince, nectarine, and candied almonds and pecans.
We've been given two different foods today to try with our Derwent Valley region Chardonnay and we can't decide which we like better. The first is grilled pork chops prepared with a stone fruit glaze while the second is crayfish if your local (but crawfish or crawdads if you're from the bayou of Louisiana). Either way, these are excellent wines with a character all their own.
Comments
Post a Comment
I'd like your feedback and questions.