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2006 Nicholson River Chardonnay

Gippsland, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
$39. 99
Bottle
$479.88 Dozen
Cellar: 2 - 3 Years (2010-2011)
ABV: 13.5%
Closure: Screw Cap

Nicholson River’s approach has been evolutionary, starting at first to be craft like, driven by the heart and slowly over the years, the style has become less interventionist and more reflective of the vineyard. Established in 1978 by Ken Eckersley, the Chardonnay vineyard at Nicholson River is now thirty years old and yields a miniscule crop of between 1.6 and 2 tonnes per acre. Eckersley believes that climatically Gippsland produces grapes with more concentration of flavour than anywhere else in Australia – this factor he attributes to the prolonged ripening season of around 5 months as compared with 3.5 to 4 months in other districts. There is a touch of botrytis evident in the fruit – in the past, it was allowed to develop in the vineyard producing rich golden coloured, short lived wines. These days the degree of botrytis is kept to a minimum and often affected grapes are not picked. Surprisingly, the winemaking is very simple: No skin contact, just a crush and press, then straight into the barrel where fermentation proceeds.

A superb example of what Nicholson River does best – big, bold, beautifully voluptuous Chardonnay.

Brilliant pale gold colour with straw hue. A classic Nicholson River sniff follows – honey, honeycomb, nougat, melon, fig and yeast lees. The palate is rich and mouthfilling with layers of nougat and ripe cantaloupe. Very spicy back palate with just a hint of lemon. Long aftertaste of honeycomb and cantaloupe.
Cellar 2-3 years (2010-2011)
Alc/Vol: 13.5%