Foggo Wooded Chardonnay 2004

Wine: Foggo Wooded Chardonnay
Type: Chardonnay
Year: 2004
Price: $10
Date: 18/12/2010
Reason for purchase: On the winery tour back in 2009.

Review: This is the savior of Chardonnay as we know it. Wooded Chardonnay is a complex beast, with most people I speak to, including rather experienced wine drinkers, all seeming to dislike wooded whites preferring the crisper fresh tastes of steel fermentation and more acid and zing. I on the other hand prefer mellow whites, with body and character which this wine has in abundance.

Our first trip down to Foggo opened my eyes to this style of white that was a staple before the glut of Sauvignon Blanc, and I was lucky enough to have a side by side tasting of their wooded and unwooded variety to compare. My favourite was this one, with beautiful oaky mellowness, creamy yet fruity. It's just a wine that keeps on giving having been aged for 4 or 5 years on oak, it has developed an amazing flavour without the tartness or acid of cheap whites.

Yet another wine that I wish I had bought more of, as they sell out of each vintage rather quickly. I have a couple of bottles of the 2005 left which I will review in the future.


Rating: 8/10 -DF-

Banrock Station Sparkling Chardonnay NV

Wine: Banrock Station Sparkling
Type: Chardonnay
Year: NV
Price: $3.75
Date: 2009 sometime
Reason for purchase: Wine club purchase

Review: This is a great stock standard sparkling white to keep handy for any occasion. Compared to some Blanc de Blanc's out there, this Chardonnay still holds up as a great sparkling for the Christmas table, Mother's day or any day really.

Most impressive of course is the price, but of course that is bulk wine club pricing and I have no idea what this stuff would retail for (google? $7 thankyou). Even for that price this is still a worthy wine, and I now lament buying only 1 carton and not a trailer full. Yes you can get much better sparkling whites that this, it doesn't even compare to Champagne, but that's not the point. This is a fantastic bargain wine that goes great with anything and won't break the bank.

Buy a dozen today!

Rating: 8/10 -DF-

Pauletts Polish Hill River Wooded Chardonnay 2008

Wine: Pauletts Polish Hill River
Type: Wooded Chardonnay
Year: 2008
Price: $14
Date: 27/02/2011
Reason for purchase: Part of the birthday party wine selection.

Review: Looking for a nice starter wine with scallops, I was on the hunt for a Chardonnay or Riesling that was up to the task. In my search I came across this beauty, mainly inspired from the great review of their Shiraz here.

This beautiful Chardonnay has a sweet fruit tingles smell and rich creamy, buttery mouth feel that is clean and smooth. It is not too acidic, but not watery either. The delicate balance of sweet and dry makes this one of the best white wines I've tasted.

Rating: 8/10 -DF-