To capture the vivid fruit flavors and beautiful balance, we hand-harvested the Chardonnay grapes in the cool morning hours. Following harvest, we allowed some time for skin contact to draw some phenolics, and chilled the fruit to 6?C. This was followed by a gentle pressing, with no enzyme addition. We fermented the grapes with minimal inoculated yeast to add layers of complexity and heighten vineyard expression. After an average of 7 days of fermentation at 18-21?C some of the wine (30%) was drawn off into oak and the remaining portion remained in Stainless Steel. Time was allowed on yeast lees with occasional stirring to give further complexity and smoothness. Following more than ten months of barrel aging (25% new oak), the wine was blended and bottled. Winemaker Franco D'Anna
A limey acid spine that verges on being tinged green. There’s grapefruit and nectarine, and I suspect the latter will fill out the palate with age. Marzipan and acacia add further interest aromatically. Oatmeal too. Indeed, it becomes very mealy on the midpalate as it opens up. The finish is long and driven – there’s a piercing line here but the wine manages to avoid sharp, hard edges with some surprisingly gentle curves in the mix. The cool hints of sourness won’t be for everybody but make no mistake – this another bargain from Hoddles Creek. Just give it some more time in the bottle if you can. Very Good Wine Will Eat Itself
Light straw-green; Franco d'Anna has long proved his mastery of chardonnay, even at the entry point for this estate-grown wine; it is beautifully balanced, its fruit aromas and flavours at the very heart of white stone fruit, albeit supported by citrussy acidity and barrel fermentation in used French oak barriques. 94 points James Halliday Top 100 Wines
I suspect that the mantle for “Australia’s Best Value White Wine” has been settled for the time being. What a sensation. Tough times for Yarra Valley reds perhaps, but there will be some stunning chardonnay releases from the valley from 2011. Here’s a great pointer. Long, complex, giving and finessed to perfection. Meal, nectarine, and lime flavour before a spicy, slatey, stony finish. Hoddles Creek Estate is no longer a “new” story so there’s no call for surprise, but this still managed to bowl me over. ... 95+ points WInefront.com.au