Eldridge Estate Chardonnay 2004 Sunday, Apr 30 2006
Tasting Notes and Australia and Mornington and Variety and White and chardonnay
So this is our David’s chardonnay and I am happy to report that it is a beautiful wine. I thought about it for a bit and decided not to give it a points based score, just a word based one, as some might consider it a conflict of interest - however small that may be.
Aromas of citrus, melon, spicy cashew oak and matchstick with wild yeasty overtones. On the palate it is tight and fine with grapefruit and melon flavours backed with attractive spicy French oak and some savoury lees derived characters. Slightly creamy but very fresh and clean. Long savoury citrus finish. A very classy wine with nothing out of place. Tasted over two days it looked great right to the last sip.
Rated : Excellent (90-94) Points
Tasted : Apr06
Alcohol : 14%
Price : $35
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2006 - 2010
Source : Winery Sample
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24 Responses to “Eldridge Estate Chardonnay 2004”
April 30th, 2006 at 8:03 pm
The problem is not whether you are independent or not, but whether you are seen to be independent Dill lover. This just seems a bit too close not to be squeming. Its your blog, but gee if you want to be seen as the independent voice…..
April 30th, 2006 at 8:07 pm
Hello Chris,
Two questions.
a) What does dill have to do with it?
b) What is squeming? A verb, noun or adjective?
JP and I discussed this at length , whether to score or not, and we decided that this is an excellent wine. Try one for yourself if you can and then take issue with the note perhaps. The wine is very good and I think it is better to review it than not. Just our thoughts - and they are worth, of course, exactly what you are paying for them. As Arthur Daley might say “My word is my bond Terry.”
GW
April 30th, 2006 at 8:27 pm
Dill has nothing to do with it Swanboyifyouprefer, that is just our long running joke. Squeming is the verb of squeamish - if you can steal “prostigious” from Antonio, I can lay claim to squeming…..ergo, “to squem”, when things get a bit too sticky for comfort.
And I just had the feeling that this site is the precursor to something bigger, so I am just looking after your interests dear….nothing is so valuable in the wine industry as your perceived integrity.
I am not doubting that the wine is great, but in the end Halliday does not review Coldstream…..
April 30th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
OK, so David retains the right to respond. Is Chris the Chris who visited a few days ago? I sent the wine to Gary because b4 I became involved he expressed an interest in the Gamay. Vintage caused me to forget winorama and when I responded to Gary I mentioned that I was a bit down in the dumps because someone who I have great respect for gave the Chardonnay a score that suggested it ranked with the complexity I saw in the $11 Viognier. So when I sent the Gamay that he had ordered yonks ago I added the Chard for him to tell me. I have tipped previous wines down the drain if I and others think them unworthy. So in the same way that I reviewed a friends Viognier (declared) Halliday also comments on Brokenwood. As long as we all feel comfortable to comment/rebuke there should not be a need for Gary to feel too bad. Friends in Sydney had a public event where the Eldridge 04 PN rated badly as too tight etc. Fine, as long as we are open. If you like, I am equally happy for Gary and lincoln to refrain from comments about Eldridge. All we have to do is to make an editorial disclaimer so people know. The key thing with a blog is that the average punter can put their thoughts about it whether or not they agree with the review eg as I see with wines reviewed by Lincoln from the Rhone. Blog on McDuff.
April 30th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
You don’t like Rhones
May 1st, 2006 at 7:05 am
Some love em and some hate ‘em. You have mentioned in your reviews that flavours may not make everyone happy. That’s my point.
I shall neither confirm or deny that I palate relations with a Rhone last week etc etc
May 1st, 2006 at 10:14 am
How does this compare to the ‘03 David? I tried the ‘03 version of this at the Vic Wine Show and thought it was worth a respectable 89 points (in the top 15% of all the wines I tried there).
May 1st, 2006 at 11:52 am
No points…what is this blog coming to? Also, what are those things in brackets? Come on GW if you wrote something like this on the W* forum I think someone might call you a poof
May 1st, 2006 at 11:56 am
Stop calling it a blog you blokes! Sheesh.
I think they might call me worse actually John..
GW
May 2nd, 2006 at 7:38 am
So, I am really good at getting off topic. That will teach me to do this before I am really awake. The 03 Chardonnay shows more solids character than the 04 which has more citrus melon. I thought the ‘03 better BUT the length of the ‘04 gets you in and it has been racing out at cellar door which suggests citrus melon is more popular than solids. Wendy, who is into cardonnay, prefers the 04. As for me, one day I like the 03 and the next time I compare them it’s the 04.
May 2nd, 2006 at 9:58 am
I think I have a high enough opinion of, and respect for Gary to know he is professional.
Because lets face it, we all know JP is the brains behind all chardonnay reviews on winorama
But if you don’t put points. You are definately a cop out poof.
July 25th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Eldridge Estate Halliday Scores just in…
A five star winery.
04 Chardonnay - 96
04 Single Clone Pinot Noir MV6 - 95
04 Single Clone Pinot Noir 777 - 95
04 Single Clone Pinot Noir 114 - 94
03 West Patch Pinot Noir - 94
04 Single Clone Pinot Noir G5V15 - 92
04 Single Clone Pinot Noir 115 - 92
04 Euroa Creek Reserve Shiraz - 92
04 Clonal Blend Pinot Noir - 91
Nice work Davo.
GW
July 25th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
Im more concerned that Gary was ordering “Gamay”?!
July 25th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
A single, small winery with 9 wines rated over 91 points, and 5 wines rated 94 or higher.
Celebrations at the Eldridge household I suspect
congrats.
Campbell.
http://www.winefront.com.au
November 11th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Congrats to the Lloyds..this wine 96 Points in Hallidays Top 100.
GW
November 11th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
Well done David. Both your 03 and 04 are looking good, both indicative of the vintage and the use of that fingerprint of yours in both vintages. I don’t mind the solids in 03. As a food wine its texture and complexity is developing and the structure is holding on. I do like the clean, vibrant, tangy fruit I remember seeing in 04 way back when I saw a sample. Line and length is what its about…mental note-Quick, must sell 03 and buy 04.
November 12th, 2006 at 8:02 am
Thankyou for kind words Jason and GW. After a very busy few weeks getting ready for and bottling I was left a little tired and flat and then 2 days of frustration with tractor/spray unit breakdown, I needed a little gee up. I looked at our 3 x 2005 Chards the other night which was fascinating. In the GW words, compare and contrast shows a “fingerprint” but quite a lot of differences. Amazing stuff is terroir and clones when you look closely.
February 14th, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Got a couple of bottles of this from Eldridge a few days OK. Now they’ve both gone! A top wine and a great vineyard to visit. Nice one.
February 14th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
The 2005 of this I tried on the weekend, and it is outstanding. It’s closer in style to the ‘03 (which had Aubert de Villaine going ga-ga). Sleek, finesse, savoury, complex, very more-ish. Should fill out beautifully too.
February 14th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
We had 3 Eldridge Chardonnays here recently: standard, North Patch and Clone 96 - very very good wines indeed…
February 14th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
Visiting Eldridge Estate is like being on the set of “Star Wars: Attack of the Clones”
But seriously, a visit here is something that should be experienced by serious chardophile/pinotphile.
January 14th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I had a bottle of this recently and just had to add to this post. This was one of the best chardonnays that I have had in a long time. A real delight to drink, creamy viscous mouth feel.
On par with the 2005 Main Ridge chardonnay tasted while visiting the Mornington Peninsular.
January 14th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Thanks Jim. Main Ridge has a most enviable quality record of improving with bottle age. I have not tried our 2004 for a little while but had a 2003 a few weeks ago (masked tasting) and it would be my preferred style. I just hope that I can keep evolving this style as I understand my patch of dirt better. At the moment I seem to be spending far too much time understanding this patch of dirt as the season has given enormous vine vigor that is taking me much time and physical effort to keep up, mmmm, I feel that the triffids are winning. Thanks once again for your illuminating description.
February 23rd, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Just finished a bottle. Well worth the $40. I thought the astringency was subtle and balanced, and if it weren’t for the flavours, I’d think I was drinking a sharp Riesling. There was lots of smoke, but not too much, and I still can’t quite nail the citrus (orange sherbert?).
We got a huge amount of tartrate crystals at the end (several grams), but that just made me all the more happy that I was privy to the fact that it got a bit cold. Everything about this wine made me glad I bought it.
Our local’s just run out though. North Carlton Cellars, corner of Canning and Richardson Streets. Tell ‘em to get some more (Jason will buy a dozen).