Description

Craiglee Sunbury Chardonnay is an old love of mine. Over many years of tasting it is always spot on for quality and style.It is the closest wine we have in Australia to Chablis. I cellared some for the 2001 vintage for about 10 years and regret not putting down a dozen. This wine is pure, lean, mineral and uncluttered by oak. It will charm you right now or it will age for a decade or more. If you enjoy Chardonnay, you should stop reading and just add two to your shopping cart.

In the unlikely region of Sunbury is Craiglee – one of Australia’s best Shiraz producers. James Stewart Johnston, a member of the Victorian Parliament, and a prominent local businessman, originally planted vines at Craiglee in 1863. Craiglee Vineyard is now operated by Patrick Carmody and his family. Patrick planted vines on the site of the original vineyard in 1976 and processed the first wine in 1979. The first commercial quantity was released in 1982 with the 1980 shiraz.

Service

Drink over the next 15 years. No, I am not kidding. This wine will be a joy for a long time.

Food Matches

This wine screams scallops to me. It can cut through a creamy sauce and would complement most seafood or shellfish.

Chardonnay

The grape that you can plant anywhere, in any climate and do anything to and it will still taste like an OK wine. When people hit the sweet spot of site, climate, cropping and winemaking, Chardonnay becomes a magical wine that will age gracefully but charm you at any age. Chardonnays can range from cool climate lean and citrusy to warmer climate tropical and overt. Oak and lees can add flavouring as can malolactic fermentation.