Wednesday, September 14, 2011

YERING STATION RESERVE CHARDONNAY 2005

- Yarra Valley, VIC
- $56-$72
- Screwcap
- 13.5%alc

The Yarra Valley enjoyed a cracking vintage for chardonnay in 2005. Coldstream Hills' seamless, near perfect 2005 Reserve (96pts) provided a seasonal high point for me back in October 2007, but Yering Station's 2005 Reserve (95pts) wasn't too far behind. Ah, good times they were, and now, I'm reliving one of them.

With a glowing, radiant scent lifting off its pale-golden shades, Yering Station's 2005 Reserve conducts a hi-octane aromatic dance throughout the bowl of my biggest Burgundy glass, releasing yellow nectarine, grapefruit, creamed corn and buttered white toast/popcorn aromas. The line between fruit and oak has been considerably blurred, creating a complex unison of the two. When the time finally comes to drink down, it reveals a most supple, practically fragile texture, which although fractionally creamy, still mimics some elements of beautiful pinot noir, without any sign of excessive weight or richness. Perhaps equally as impressive is an ever present, electrifying zap of sherbety grapefruit/citric acids ensconcing its vibrant flavour, the latter of which resembles sweet yellow stonefruits bookended by minerals and sour cream. It's that understated harmony of complex texture, brightly lit flavour and glistening structure that makes this chardonnay something special. There's more good years ahead here. No doubt.

ü+ I could elaborate much further on this. Let's just say it's a wine that demands respect and, I'm really, really glad I have one left. Drink to 2015.
95 points


3 comments:

  1. Sounds like a cracka. Doing an 05 Yarra Chardonnay line-up would be a great tasting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. amazing wine had bottle last year. wish i left it longer or had more.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aye. 2005 Yarra Chardonnay tasting would be brilliant. But going off this bottle, I'd give it a few more years yet for the better wines to show their best.

    Cheers,
    Chris P

    ReplyDelete