Here we are half way through March and the weather is still being very kind to us. Even here in Hobart we are having glorious sunny days and warm evenings, extending the use of our outdoor dining area into the Autumn months. Not that this scenario deters me from opening a bottle of red wine but it tends to have me reaching for a good bottle of white wine in the first instance. In this situation, Chardonnay tends to be the ‘go to’ for us and it’s always great to be introduced to one from a region I didn’t know had Chardonnay vines. That shows my ignorance a little, because from what I’ve read, it is their most famous variety. I hang my head in shame as I type this.
In case you were wondering, grape vines were planted in the Cowra district in the early 1970’s with Chardonnay being the main variety. The Windowrie family have been putting one into bottle for nearly 30 years and, if this one is anything to go by, I hope there isn’t a 30 year gap before I get to try another one of theirs!
Now, I’m going to go out on a limb a little here; not so far that the limb breaks and I suffer the consequences by saying this, but if I was served this blind, on first taste I wouldn’t have picked this as a Chardonnay. The reason being, it has a lovely citrus dominant nose although has a touch of peach in there too (which is a good indicator it is a Chardy, I know). I was immediately hooked. My palate certainly welcomed the mouth watering lemon and stone-fruit characters it presented. A smooth, creamy texture provided some good palate weight as it eased its way to a persistent, dry finish. There’s a delicate touch of acid that suggests it won’t hurt to let it cellar for a little while either. This is a very well made, nicely balanced Chardonnay that I could drink a lot of…easily!
Region: Cowra, NSW Price: $35 Source: Sample thanks to Windowrie & Define Wine
Words from a Wine Glass 