Bannockburn Chardonnay 2004
“Golden-ripe summer” colour.
A nose of oak and ripe fruit. The fruit is like a fruit salad of pineapple, lychee and guava (no stone fruits), all shot through with sweet lemon. There’s quite a lot of oak, but I didn’t feel it was crass, showing complex oak flavours without any one (e.g. vanillin) dominating. A soft toastiness, almost unroasted nuttiness, and gentle calcite- (rather than schist-) like minerality. Complex.
The palate is smooth and possesses a degree of viscosity, yet there’s a lightness to it (and seamless integrated acidity) that keeps it all in balance and refreshing. A long finish too.
Thankfully this isn’t one of those new wave (so-called elegant) Aussie Chardonnays that lacks intensity and character to the point it’s dull and wishy-washy. This seems more in the old school style with its ripe fruit and prominent oak, but it’s quality oak and fruit and it’s all deftly handled.