Silent Way Chardonnay 2013 (Macedon, Vic)
13%, Screwcap, $35
I’m not sure if it is Matt Harrop and his partner Tamara doing a nude walk on the front of the Silent Way website, but I like it nonetheless. Wine tastes better when in your birthday suit.
This Chardonnay comes from the western facing slopes of Mount Macedon at 575m altitude. Hand picked and whole bunch pressed, fermented wild in old oak and bottled without fining or filtration.
For all that hands-off winemaking this looks awfully delicate and pure, with melon and peach and a nose largely untouched by oak. It’s perhaps a little lean for the moment, but that purity and freshness is excellent – it’s almost a Pinot Gris like Chardonnay, such is the careful balance between peach skin, slightly phenolic flavour and acidity.
I shared this with a few friends who would never consider themselves Chardonnay fans and this went down very well. I like it too – a really vital wine.
Source: Sample
Tasted: October 2014
Drink: 2014-2019
Score: 18/20, 93/100+
Would I buy it? Yes. Really enjoyed this.
Comment
Had a glass last week .. if I wasn't designated driver I would have had another – was delicious. Had a real interest or maybe it is what you say, "a really vital wine". Bought a couple of bottles this week.