Balgownie Estate Chardonnay 2006 (Bendigo, Vic)
$25, Screwcap

I rather caned its Yarra Valley brother a little while back for its reliance on vanilla oak for flavour. On opening, this shows the same onslaught of sweet French oak and its hard not to feel disappointed. The oak is better integrated in this Bendigo example, but its still far too dominant for my tastes.

A light straw yellow colour, the nose shows vanilla and cedar oak, with some creamier malo influences, the palate is citrussy, hot slightly sweet and rather unbalanced, with a confusion of oak and (rather blowsy) fruit hitting the palate, finishing hot and oak derived. Arguably it will get better in time, but I still find this to be an unenjoyable Chardonnay. 14.5