Oakridge 864 Aqueduct Block Henk Vineyard Chardonnay 2023
- 97
- $100
- Drink by: 2025-2037
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Unless someone has been living under a rock for the last decade, there is probably little point in me telling readers just how good the top wines from Oakridge are. Because they really are. But allow me to say that I’m not sure I’ve seen a better collection than these latest releases. The grapes here were whole bunch pressed direct to French oak puncheons for a wild ferment, with 20% of those barrels new. A further ten months maturation on lees followed and a further six months after that on lees in tank. The aim of the 864 series is to reveal the terroir of single vineyards and blocks. In this case, that is aided by the fact that the vineyard is a single clone, the Dijon clone 95. The vineyard was planted in 2008. An appealing lemon/straw hue, there are intense aromas on the nose here. We have notes of cashews, white peaches, florals and exceptional oak integration. An exquisite nose, the wine is fresh with great length and bright acidity. Superbly balanced, a seductive texture, alluringly elegant, this will drink beautifully for the next ten to twelve years. There are hints of early complexity but it seems certain that that will increase enormously in the coming years. An exceptional 864.
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.
