Nimbostratus Chardonnay

 I have never heard of this wine before I bought the 2019 Nimbostratus Chardonnay. This is a pity, because apparently this is the last vintage. Nimbostratus is the name for unattractive, thick dark clouds, apparently the kind you get from where the wine is from. The vineyard is located in the Victorian highlands, about 50km southwest of Beechworth, at an altitude of 868 meters.

The wine is wild fermented in French oak and matured on lees for nine months. Only 180 cases with this attractive label were made.

You can immediately tell this is a high altitude wine. Citrus flavours and acidity dominate the palate. This wine has a nice zing to it and is quite harmonious in its dryness. There is a subtle power and concentration underlying it all. I certainly enjoyed this wine. The small production may have made it uneconomical.

Score: 93/++  

What Have We Been Drinking This Christmas?

 Christmas gatherings this year have been much smaller in many countries, as we are still in the grip of covid-19. However, I am sure this community has still been enjoying their wine. My drinkings are shown below.

The Arras Sparkling was sadly disappointing. It was fresh, but had little complexity and no biscuit flavours. The Nimbostratus Chardonnay is an unusual wine, which I will report on separately. I enjoyed the Derthona again, which I have reviewed previously. It is a bigger white wine without having buttery flavours. It went well with the prawns. But the wine of the day was the Georges Noëllat Burgundy. Again, I will review it separately.

What have you been drinking? Please comment. I am also interested in comments from the Northern Hemisphere, where different temperatures no doubt lead to different choices. 

Pizzini Arneis

The 2010 Pizzini Arneis, is nothing like a Piedmont Arneis. It lacks its spritzig character, but it is a pleasant summer drink nonetheless. The soft lime flavour has similarity with Sauvignon Blanc without it being grassy or sweet.

This Arneis is a bit of a non-event wine, really, but if you want the wine to stay in the background, this one is a good candidate.

Score: 87/0