A while ago I bought a case of Larry Mckenna's Escarpment chardonnay.
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| THIS GUY although it's an old photo |
McKenna is one of the country's best chardonnay makers having carved out a reputation in the 1970s with Delegats and Martinborough Vineyards before making out on his own.
I bought his 2014 Escarpment chardonnay from an on-line seller along with a case of his riesling.
The wine is beautifully made with ripe but fine fruit and heavy use of good oak. The result is a tightly structured white Burgundy style with strong lees character and minerality. Serious wine. I like it but, although it still has a lot of life in it given the vintage (2014) and the colour still looks like a young wine - the reductive notes and a bit of fruit drop doesn't make it delicious.
The answer? Drop in some younger chardonnay in to refresh it.
I normally don't buy 'cleanskins' as I like to know a bit about the provenance of the wines I drink but I bought a case of this on-line because of the sellers 'blurb' and yes, it was cheap. I thought that it would be a good blender and I was right having used it a few times to freshen up tired and older wines. as I do see: HERE
The 2017 Gisborne chardonnay while a bit ordinary on its own has enough fruit and acidity to give the older wine a 'kick' and definitely rejuvenates it.
* You'll have to view the earlier post via the link
9 comments:
This wine has a strong peach overtone with a touch of violin rosin. I'd like to see it mixed with motor engine oil.
It's nice to see you taking an interest.
Perhaps you could describe to the readers the wines that you drink like these descriptions from Monty Python:
A lot of people in this country pooh-pooh Australian table wines. This is a pity, as many fine Australian wines appeal not only to the Australian palate, but also to the cognoscenti of Great Britain.
'Black stump Bordeaux' is rightly praised as a peppermint flavoured Burgundy, whilst a good 'Sydney Syrup' can rank with any of the world's best sugary wines.
'Chateau Bleu', too, has won many prizes; not least for its taste, and its lingering afterburn.
'Old Smokey, 1968' has been compared favourably to a Welsh claret, whilst the Australian wino society thoroughly recommends a 1970 'Coq du Rod Laver', which, believe me, has a kick on it like a mule: 8 bottles of this, and you're really finished -- at the opening of the Sydney Bridge Club, they were fishing them out of the main sewers every half an hour.
Of the sparkling wines, the most famous is 'Perth Pink'. This is a bottle with a message in, and the message is BEWARE!. This is not a wine for drinking -- this is a wine for laying down and avoiding.
Another good fighting wine is 'Melbourne Old-and-Yellow', which is particularly heavy, and should be used only for hand-to-hand combat.
Quite the reverse is true of 'Chateau Chunder', which is an Appalachian controle, specially grown for those keen on regurgitation -- a fine wine which really opens up the sluices at both ends.
Real emetic fans will also go for a 'Hobart Muddy', and a prize winning 'Cuiver Reserve Chateau Bottled Nuit San Wogga Wogga', which has a bouquet like an aborigine's armpit.
There are lots of 'gods'. Get over it.
I love you Robert. I love you too Peter, but not as much.
Sorry guys. Just practising in case I become a Christian.
I'd get off to hell is I were you.
Get in before the rush.
If
But now that there is archbishop Chris Prowse my future is looking up.
And, of course, Baxter.
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