Hollick The Bard Coonawarra Chardonnay 2024
- 91
- $24
- Drink by: 2025-2031
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The team at Hollick have created the Bard range of wines to celebrate the work of John Shaw Nielsen, who was raised in the cottage on their Nielsen’s Block Vineyard in Coonawarra. Born in Penola in 1872, he is described as Australia’s best known lyric poet, which highlights yet another yawning chasm in my education. A deep yellow straw hue, the nose gives us a touch of peach and apricot, along with notes of melon. We also have hints of cashews, presumably from the influence of oak. The wine has decent length and is supple and seamless along its journey with a fine line of acidity present. This is an attractive and easy drinking style, which is excellent value. Enjoy it over the next four to six years.
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.
