Pachamama Chardonnay, Yarra Valley VIC 2020
- 94
- $32
- Drink by: 2021-2028
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Callie Jemmeson and Nina Stocker, the duo behind Pachamama, sure know how to make Chardonnay. Last year’s vintage was a stunner and they’ve backed it up again with this elegant example.
The fruit is beautifully pure, with finely sliced white peach and grapefruit pith. There’s an alluring vanilla-whipped crème fraîche note – a little creamy but not heavy; lending the impression of gossamer silk. Lemongrass adds some tangy spice. And, I can’t explain this any other way, it smells like the fresh breeze that accompanies a babbling stream.
The oak is deftly handled – just a whisper to add texture and spice whilst not dominating the pristine fruit. The wine shows stunning balance; walking a tightrope of delicacy, freshness and concentration. Teamed with impressive length, especially at this price point. Buy some to drink now, and get a few for the cellar.
Drink it with Kachapuri – a Georgian pizza-esque dish topped with ricotta and feta and a just-set egg.
Nicole loves wine. So much so that she gave up a successful career in Pharmacy, perfected her spitting technique, and moved from sunny Queensland to the wine-drenched laneways of Melbourne. Stints in hospitality, wineries, retail, sales and marketing filled the next few years while Nicole built her knowledge and searched for the right path. She completed the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in 2016 and became a certified WSET Educator the following year. She now juggles a number of roles including teaching people about wine, curating wines lists for restaurants and bars, judging in Australian wine shows and, of course, writing. In 2016 she won the Negociants Working With Wine writing award and has since contributed to Gourmet Traveller WINE, Halliday Wine Companion Magazine and Nourish Magazine.
