Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Toolangi Chardonnay

There are many excellent Chardonnays these days in the $25-$30 per bottle price bracket, many from the Yarra Valley. The 2016 Toolangi Chardonnay is one such wine.

Toolangi has an interesting model, with a focus on its Dixon Vineyard and an objective to produce the best quality grapes it can. Winemaking is outsourced to high quality winemakers, at Yering Station for this wine and the more expensive Estate wine, and to Rick Kinzbrunner of Giaconda fame for the top wine. But you sometimes have to wonder if they would chose to make a wine equal in quality to their own. The other challenge is that Gary Hounsell, the Toolangi owner, is also Executive Chairman of Myer, and would have his hands full there at the moment. But I digress.

What is actually in the glass? This wine is clean, a little fuller in the mouth than the very lean Chardonnay versions, with pear and white peach flavours. The wine is nicely balanced, with a bias to fruit flavour rather than acidity. This Chardonnay moves well through the palate. It is best upfront, but produces a satisfying finish as well.

This is a good wine for the price bracket. It would work well with salads and chicken dishes.

Score: 90/++ 

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