Description

This is exactly what I think Chardonnay should taste like. Harriet’s Vineyard is lean, clean, racy with a good whack of ripe fruit over the top. The wine is really well balanced and is drinkable now or will evolve over the next 10 years. Have this with a chicken roasted with lemons.

Rob Hall has done some magical things when it comes to wine. He’s worked at big and small places making outstanding quality wines. Most notably he has worked at Mount Mary and Kellybrook. He has also been making wines under his own label sourced from his family vineyard near Healesville and local fruit. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the main wines here, both are made for younger drinking, offering great quality and value. Further releases of interesting parcel sourced from around the Yarra will only add to his legend.

Yarra Valley

A region that is just too big to generalise about. The difference between Upper and Lower Yarra can be the ability to ripen some grapes or not. Great wines are made in the Yarra but it is best to know the producers.

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.