Wine Australia Independence Day highlights part 1: Yarra Valley Chardonnay

“Next stop Anatartica” – not what springs to mind when I think of Australia. But turning the globe on its head neatly illustrated Phil Sexton’s observation about the impact of the chilly Southern Ocean on Australia’s cool climate regions – my focus at last week’s Wine Australia Independence Day tasting.

Sexton (Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander) and Martin Spedding (Ten Minutes by Tractor) co-presented a Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula seminar to show off top notch examples of those varieties which have swiftly become emblematic of each region – Yarra Valley Chardonnay and Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir.  In the afternoon, Anthony Rose and Justin Knock MW hosted a Coonawarra Cabernet masterclass.

Here’s my report of the Chardonnay seminar (other regions to follow), in which these wines were shown:

1. Seville Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2011 (Yarra Valley)
2. Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay 2011 (Yarra Valley)
3. De Bortoli Reserve Release Chardonnay 2011 (Yarra Valley)
4. Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Chardonnay 2011 (Yarra Valley)
5. Innocent Bystander Mea Culpa Chardonnay 2011(Yarra Valley)
6. Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2011 (Yarra Valley)
7. Yering Station Reserve Chardonnay 2010 (Yarra Valley)
8. Domaine Chandon Barrel Selection Chardonnay 2008 (Yarra Valley)
9. De Bortoli PHI Chardonnay 2007 (Yarra Valley)
10. Penfolds Yattarna 2008 (Adelaide Hills & Tasmania)

Bar one, this impressive selection comprised gold medal winners (95+ points) from last September’s inaugural James Halliday Chardonnay Challenge (JHCC), which attracted over 400 entries from 40 Australian wine regions.  The exception was Sexton’s very own Innocent Bystander Mea Culpa Chardonnay 2011, which he described as a “natural wine” (no additives other than 50 parts sulphur at bottling).

Organised by Wine Yarra Valley, the JHCC’s objective was to showcase the quality of Australian Chardonnay.  A smart move given the excitement surrounding the variety’s new improved fine- boned incarnation (“no malo, certainly no US oak,”said Sexton), not to mention the Yarra’s starring role at the vanguard of change.  Click here for the JHCC results.

Of Sexton’s line up, the JHCC’s runner up – Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2011 – was my pick of the bunch (the most complete wine, muscular and intense), closely followed by the innervating flint-fest which is the super-long Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Chardonnay 2011 (click here for my earlier review), then Penfolds Yattarna 2008 (shown among the Yarra wines because it scooped the JHCC trophy; reviewed here).  The less familiar salty and floral Seville Estate showed terrific tension and line too.

As for my Chardonnay of the day, even the Coldstream Hills was surpassed by the savoury, mineral and muscular magnificence – sheer gravitas – of the Giaconda 2010 Chardonnay from Beechworth (though, at £93, it’s more than twice the price of the Coldstream Hills).  And while we’re talking price, it’s worth flagging that De Bortoli Reserve Chardonnay and Giant Steps Sexton Chardonnay (both c. £20) and PHI Chardonnay (C. £25) offer plenty of sophisticated bang for buck.

To conclude, some interesting observations from Sexton about Chardonnay in the Yarra Valley:

• Unlike Mornington Peninsula and Margaret River (where Sexton owned Devils Lair), the Yarra is inland, so winter temperatures are low enough for the vines to undergo winter dormancy virtually every year.  Otherwise, Sexton says, “Chardonnay misbehaves after 4-5 years…the vine slowly runs itself down.”
• Bang up against the Great Dividing Range (“a barrier to south west weather”), the Yarra enjoys good rainfall and humidity.
• Vineyards are increasingly shifting higher and higher – for example, in the eastern range at 1400 feet (c. 430m), Pinot Noir ripens 6 weeks later than in central Yarra Valley.
• Sexton is “almost sure” that there was no acidification of the Yarra Valley Chardonnays shown and “pretty sure” all are naturally fermented.
• There’s also less work going on in the barrel where batonnage encourages the malolactic fermentation and, with low malic acid to start with, there’s no pressure to put the wines through malo – you don’t want to encourage diacetyl (butteriness), said Sexton.