2021 Brokenwood Chardonnay

 A very modern Australian Chardonnay that will age perfectly.

Tasting Notes 

Colour

Perfect, pale green colour and lifted grapefruit aromas.

Nose

The finesse on both aroma and palate comes from earlier picking dates and older, large format French oak. Some ‘bran meal’ notes but the fruit takes centre stage with stone fruit and zesty citrus characters.

Palate

The minimal oak sits nicely with the fine, juicy citrus flavours on the palate accompanied by subtle bran meal. The driving force of this wine is the acidity – long and pure. Approximately 90% from Beechworth and the balance from Orange, the final components of this wine basically selected themselves. Another top-notch vintage!

About Brokenwood Wines

Founded in 1970 as a hobby venture by three Sydney-based solicitors - Tony Albert, John Beeston and Australian wine critic James Halliday - Brokenwood is perhaps best known for their Cricket Pitch label, which was first sourced from a 4-hectare block at the foothills of the Hunter Valley’s Brokenback Ranges. The block was originally earmarked as the local cricket ground before they decided to plant a vineyard instead.

Similarly, Brokenwood purchased their neighbouring block, which was intended to be the local cemetery, and instead planted Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, becoming their critically acclaimed flagship wine, the Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz. Chief Winemaker and Managing Director Iain Riggs joined Brokenwood in 1982 and introduced new winery equipment and facilities specifically for premium white wine production.

Since 1983, white wine makes up a significant part of total production and their Semillon is widely recognized as one of the finest in the world. Iain has also been the driving force behind Brokenwood’s expansion into the McLaren Vale in South Australia, Beechworth in Victoria, Margaret River in Western Australia, and Orange in New South Wales. Despite their expansion, they have managed to remain fiercely committed to producing unique and high-quality expressions of Australian terroir.

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"Astounding balance of fresh fruit and oak in this beauty. Lots of zesty citric fruits are tempered by a really soft, round oak influence. The oak is larger format and older than standard Australian practices - which tempers the influence over the fruit. Perfect balance and poise, lovely complexity - all the attributes for good bottle ageing  - so will hide a few of these for later years!" May 2022

Specifications