De Bortoli Yarra Valley Phi Chardonnay 2021
- 93
- $32
- Drink by: 2024-2027
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‘Lusatia Park was purchased outright by the De Bortoli family in 2016. Prior to that, the vineyard had been a source of some of our finest Chardonnay for 20 years. One of the most well-known and respected vineyards in the upper reaches of the Yarra Valley. The fruit is hand harvested, whole bunch pressed and allowed to settle overnight. The turbid juice is then racked to new and used French oak casks where it undergoes natural fermentation. The wine is left on yeast lees for 9 months with the occasional stirring.’
A classic Yarra Valley Chardonnay. It’s alluring right from the first sniff, all the way to the last drop. It immediately presents lovely aromas of white flowers and lemon zest, and on further inspection, some tangy lime, while almond meal and honey point to some of its age, with some creaminess and toastiness highlighting the malo and oak, which doesn’t overpower. The palate is zippy and bright, with a tingly minerality and generous mouthfeel. It’s already had a few years of bottle age but it will benefit from a few more, though it’s drinking really well right now.
Brendan is a Melbourne-based writer, filmmaker, playwright and composer. Since 2013, he has been published in national and regional Australian titles such as Halliday Magazine, Gourmet Traveller Wine, Grapegrower and Winemaker, Gippslandia, Gippsland Lifestyle, Yarra Valley and Ranges and Gippsland Country Life magazines. Brendan was a finalist for 2024 Wine Communicator Awards in the 'Best Published Feature Article or Wine Column' category. He has completed the WSET Level 3 course (gaining a Distinction) and has a passion for small producers of wine, beer and spirits. He is also the co-editor of 'I'm Not a Film Star: David Bowie as Actor' for Bloomsbury Academic.
