Wines

Wines

Chardonnay

Chardonnay - Back Vintages

2003 Chardonnay

This wine was fully fermented and matured for one year in new and one-year-old French Allier oak barriques imported from the Mercier Cooperage. This complex wine will develop well, integrating the fresh fruit flavours with the rich creamy characters resulting from full malo lactic treatment and frequent lees stirring. Balancing acidity and structure were achieved by using low yield grapes picked at optimum ripeness.

1999 Chardonnay

This wine is typical of a chardonnay which has been given the benefit of full malolactic fermentation to produce complexity and new François French Oak for extra flavour. Creamy yeasty characters were achieved through stirring of the yeast-lees giving a typical intensive "gun powder" nutty character of Burgundian wines. Flavors of quince and apples combine on the palate to produce the qualities of a red wine in a white glass.

Reviews

Winestate
Leabrook Estate Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 1999 *****
(Judged equal top Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills)

1998 Chardonnay

The 1998 Chardonnay shows the benefit of an extra year of maturity. It is straw gold and has intensity, complexity and finesse with a surprisingly retained level of acidity to give an extremely well balanced wine. In fact the initial long palate showing fruit flavours of bananas and kiwi fruit, with flavours of French Nevers Oak and malolactic creaminess gives way to an uplifted aftertaste generated by the inherent acid levels and structure of the wine.

Colin's Technical Notes on Chardonnay

I consider that the Charonnay fruit from the Adelaide Hills Region is gaining recognition as being of world class. more »