The colour of this wine is pale gold with green tints. The nose displays lifted citrus zest and fresh quince with subtle notes of white nougat and toasted almonds. Finely structured and seamless, the palate is all about texture. Creamy nougat, citrus and hints of white nectarine combine elegantly with the subtle nuances of French oak and a restrained citrus acidity for a lingering finish.
Yalumba
Yalumba was founded in 1849 by Samuel Smith, British migrant and English brewer, who had brought his family to Angaston seeking a new life. After purchasing a 30-acre parcel of land just beyond the southern-eastern boundary of Angaston, Smith and his son began planting the first vines by moonlight. Samuel named his patch “Yalumba” – aboriginal for “all the land around”.Six generations and more than 150 years later Yalumba, Australia’s oldest family owned winery, has grown in size.. read more
Wine Advocate # 198. Dec 2011. Reviewer : Jay Miller. The 2009 Wild Ferment Chardonnay gives aromas of nectarines, honeydew melon and lemon curd with nuances of baking bread and honey. Medium-bodied, crisp and with a suggestion of creaminess to the texture, it has a medium-long finish. Drink this one now through 2014.
Tasted September 2009. Tropical fruit syrup, toast, toffee, caramel. Full and generous, with a distinctly over-ripe character. Dry and well-balanced with a medium body and moderate persistence. (RH). When to drink : 2009.
Issue: May 31, 2012 - Vibrant, with a refreshing sense of youth to the pear, nutmeg and aniseed flavors, lingering delicately on the supple, expansive finish. Drink now through 2019.
Sep/Oct 09. By Josh Raynolds. Light yellow. Peach, banana and honey on the nose. Easygoing tropical and pit fruit flavors are modestly concentrated, with gentle back- end bitterness adding grip. Finishes with gentle sweetness and good focus.
Wine Enthusiast, wineenthusiast.com, (12/31/2009), 87pts (2008) –“The nose is a beguiling mélange of high tropical fruit aromas floating over lower tones of grapefruit, hay and wet gravel. The palate is more straightforward, evincing nuts and caramel tones that linger just a bit. Try with poached salmon. Drink now to 2011."— W.E.
Bright, light green-straw; the wine has a particular textural character that Yalumba would attribute to the wild ferment, as well as investing the wine with a special sense of place. A thoroughly interesting wine where the varietal fruit markers are of far less importance than the texture and structure.
Gary Walsh, winefront.com.au, 88pts (2008) –“Nectarine, nougat and, yes, some funky wild ferment characters – although it’s a gentle kind of wilderness admittedly, with no bears, vicious wargs or similar on the prowl. Soft and lightly spicy with gentle acidity and an appealing sort of glossiness. Not the most shapely or focussed of wines but an unforced and easy going one nonetheless. Food friendly too I’d say. Drink : 2009 - 2010."
Fermented and matured for 7 months in new French oak barriques (4% of blend), 1- to 3-year-old French oak barriques and hogsheads (36% of blend).
