De Bortoli Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2006

Gary has already reviewed this, as you can see by following the ‘Other Vintages’ link below. Sometimes I wonder at the value of multiple reviews of the same wine, though GW assures me it is always good to do a palate calibration every now and then. Anyways, on to the wine. I do vaguely remember from the press release that there have been efforts by the De Bortoli winemaking team to get less sunshine in the Chardonnay. I think this is an admirable aim, because I would reckon it would make a wine with more structure and less of the blousey overblown tropical fruit characters. In this regard, there has been success, because the wine showed mainly nectarine and citrus fruits, with a bit of cream, vanilla and gunsmoke, and only a hint of peaches and melon. The palate also showed the nectarine characters, but with a lemon/orange sherbet liveliness, displaying a beautiful fruit purity, savoury without any mealy or minerally characteristics, and admirable length. A lovely wine; drink over the next few years.

Other vintages : 2006, 2005

Rated : 92 Points
Tasted : Dec07
Alcohol : 13.0%
Price : $30
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2008 - 2011
Source : Winery Sample
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