Climbing Australian Chardonnay (6)

Sunday, October 7, 2012

As a pathological liar, I’ve misrepresented myself as a million different types of people. Race car driver, banker, airline pilot, even a wine critic slash mountain climber! That’s how I know this 2007 Climbing Chardonnay is literally the cure for cancer.

Ha! Gotcha! Remember that part where I’m a pathological liar? This 2007 Climbing Chardonnay doesn’t cure cancer at all! But it does carry lovely bright aromas, with citrus notes and complex secondary flavors of cream, cashew, brioche and a thousand dollar bill hidden under the label. Whoops! Can’t help myself! One of those things just isn’t true!

But don’t think you have to trust me. The nice lady who adds the specs is 115% honest, and SHE says this 2007 Climbing Chardonnay tastes of delicious white peach with a soft creamy finish and the early leaked directors cut of Avengers Meet Spider-Man. Boom! Gotcha again! Ha ha ha ha! You can’t trust me at all!

• Winemaker: Phillip Shaw & Debbie Lauritz
• Region: Orange, New South Wales
• Alcohol: 13%

The chardonnay was harvested at night below 59 F to avoid any oxidation and assist in cold settling. With cool clean fruit harvested the juice settled well. A cool fermentation was initiated in vat with a combination of yeast culture and native yeast. A portion of juice was transferred to new French barriques for 6 months where it fermented. Both the vat and barrel wines were stirred regularly on lees after fermentation until early September. The final wine was racked off lees, cold stabilized, gently casein fined, then bottled in early October.

Woot