RICHARD SAYS
2024 Hoddles Creek Chardonnay 13.2%, Yarra Valley, Victoria RRP $26
Chardonnay seemingly can be grown anywhere; and made in styles ranging from austere to overtly buttery. Yet far too often it’s made formulaically, and anonymously to a budget without any sense of ‘place’. This is a recipe for mediocrity. Plus, there are far too many upstarts trying to sell wines whose price far exceeds the inherent quality, drinkability, or consistency.
Hoddles Creek has an enviable, long history of producing wines that provide style, authenticity, and exceptional value for money. This chardonnay offers nectarine, grapefruit, citrus peel, some spicy oak notes, and a gentle touch of nuttiness. All that’s on display before tasting…. Then it’s crisp, fresh, moreish, with persistence of flavour, and oak as a comfortable background element instead of being the showcase – here the cool-climate fruit is beautifully expressed. And while hard to resist now, the wine will meander comfortably for many years. Hoddles Creek over-delivers, and here’s just one example to prove it to the explorers.
Goes with? So many choices! Almost any chicken dish – roast, stir-fry, Maryland’s, schnitzel. Or a creamy pasta with mushrooms. Plus, seafood – mussels, fish grilled or baked. And plenty of cheeses to finish.
GRANT SAYS
El Enemigo Cabernet Franc 2020 – Mendoza, Argentina
RRP $100, ABV 13.5%
After 15 years in the wine industry, I’ve finally started to build up a bit of a cellar. The aim is to be able to pull out a special wine once a week and pair it with a nice meal. This week I dug out this delightful drop. Mendoza is world famous for producing premium quality Malbec, but the region is significantly more versatile than its most popular mainstay. Chardonnay is another variety Mendoza matches alongside the world’s best. This Cabernet Franc is a dark horse but not to be overlooked. It’s hard to find a straight Cab Franc, but they’re always a delicious crowd pleaser. With five years under its belt, I feel this wine is in its optimum drinking window; still fruity and fresh but complimented by a plethora of tertiary notes poking through. Jubey lifted aromatics blend seamlessly with hits of leather, coffee, dusty cacao and subtle eucalypt. That palate is like silk. Such soft and supple tannins glide through. It’s a medium bodied drop drenched in elegance but the depth of flavour plays perfect foil and delivers pure deliciousness, not to mention versatility across a broad spectrum of food pairings. I probably should have shared this bottle with educated and astute wine enthusiasts at a classy dinner so as to ‘show off’ a little bit and generate interesting conversation around winemaking and this exotic region. Instead, I polished off the bottle on a quiet Good Friday over the footy while cuddling my dog and I have zero regrets
Pair with: Salad of sliced medium rare steak, raw zucchini ribbons, edamame, deep fried shallot, Persian feta, red cabbage and pickled ginger.
