Hill-Smith Estate Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2015
The Chardonnay Chronicles continue...
We’re headed to Australia…the land where half of South Africa resides. I kinda don’t blame them - Australia has THE best wildlife. And this time there was no hand holding. Eek.
The Wine:
Pale gold with a very pronounced nose, that I can smell across the room, of vanilla, lime, pineapples, roasted nuts, brioche dough…butter biscuits…scones…buttered toast…you name it, all the buttered bakes, smoke and flint.
Dry, medium+ acidity, medium- body and a loooooong finish of lime, pineapple, unripe nectarines, young apricots, lemon zest and nuts.
So this is the type of Chard that used to scare me silly with it’s undeniable oak. It’s been upgraded to a wine that I’d hope to get at any blind tasting. Oak, lower acidity, lemon and orchard fruit...clear as day!
Viti & Vini:
Hand picked grapes that are whole bunch pressed. Fermented in a combination of new, one and two year old French oak barriques using wild yeasts. The barrels are regularly topped up and stirred over a period of 12 months. After blending, the wines spend a further 5 months in oak before bottling.
Conclusion:
Balance (½) + Length (1) + Intensity (1) + Complexity (1) = A very good wine.
Drink now, but has potential for further ageing.
Final Thoughts:
B.L.I.C is a process that I truly appreciate and use each time I taste - and it confirmed that, as much as it’s not a wine that speaks to me, and despite the questionable balance, it is still a very good wine for it’s length, intensity and complexity. A solid 3.5 out of 4.
Chardonnay = 2. Scepticism = 1. Side eye = plenty, but only because my eyes kept darting around looking for someone to hold my hand.
