Churchview The Bartondale Chardonnay 2025
- 92
- $60
- Drink by: 2026-2030
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A fresh and vibrant style of Margaret River Chardonnay, the wine spent a short period of time in French oak for maturation. Deep straw in colour, this is still very youthful, of course. It does exhibit a touch of oak, which is in the process of integration. There are notes of melons, mandarins, citrus, ginger and stone fruit. An attractive textural aspect is evident throughout and there is good length, as well as a line of saline acidity. Fresh and attractive, enjoy this over the next three to four years. There is room for further improvement.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
