In this current COVID-19 crisis, I consider myself a very lucky man. I have a secure job and therefore, a secure income. I am guaranteed my pay will go into my bank account every fortnight and my superannuation is safe for when I retire. I sincerely wish it were the same for many Australians.
For Tim and Nicky Stevens, even if this crisis was not happening, this is a tough time. Due to smoke taint, they have had to drop all of their fruit for the 2020 vintage onto the ground which means no 2020 vintage wines will be coming out of Huntington Estate. I feel so sad for these guys and it makes me appreciate my circumstances even more.
Here in the Peters house, we love Chardonnay. When we were tasting these, we were trying to work out when we last had one we didn’t like. Considering we have tried many from across this sunburnt country over the years, that’s a pretty good result. I have to say too, if it wasn’t for Tim and Nicky Stevens and David Cumming (Define Wine Marketing) I don’t reckon we would have had the opportunity to try Chardonnays from the Mudgee region. I’m so glad we have. Here’s two mighty fine ones to get your mitts on.
2019 Barrel Ferment Chardonnay
Lovely and fresh on the nose, as expected, with stonefruits and a nice citrusy hit. The palate is lively, youthful and fruit-full almost to a fault really and that is only because of how good it tastes. Juicy stonefruit dominant with a creamy sort of texture (thanks to the barrel fermentation, and then some lovely balanced mouth-watering acidity adds to the very good length. I could easily drink this any time of the year!
Price: $27
2019 Special Reserve Chardonnay
The intense stonefruit aromatics make it difficult to move on to tasting it. Gee it’s good on the nose. The palate is then swathed in rich, inviting, chardonnay characters. Peaches, a hint of pears and nectarines start things off as a lovely creamy texture spreads everything across the palate, and then smooth acidity shows up as it peters out to an excellent length. Even in its youth, all of the components seem to have come together beautifully. An absolute pleasure to drink.
Price: $35
Region: Mudgee, NSW Source: Samples thanks to Huntington Estate
Words from a Wine Glass 