If I’m to be honest, I was a little dubious about this Aussie Chardonnay before I opened it – I’ve had so many bad ones that I wasn’t expecting much.

Tasting for three

I shared this with two lovely ladies and the verdict was unanimous – really good.

A nice crisp start with peaches and cream. It’s well balanced, soft with a buttery melt in your mouth. The great thing about this Chardonnay is restraint. There’s no over-oaking which is so often typical of many of the Australian Chardonnays on the shelves here.

Restraint and balance are two words that would describe this wine, in a similar way to a far more expensive white Burgundy.

More about the wine

Grapes are organic and were harvested at night. Why harvesting at night? There’s a school of thought that grape quality is higher when picked during the cool of the night. Colder grapes are firmer, less likely to split, oxidise or ferment prematurely. It can result in wines with fresher, brighter flavours and crisper acidity. Presumably, it’s also easier on the grapepickers.

Minimal intervention

So, it’s clear from how the grapes are grown organically and how they’re picked at night that the winemaker has taken the utmost care of how this wine is made.

“Minimal intervention” is what this winemaker is all about and it seems to make a difference in the glass.

Where to get Salena Estate Organic Chardonnay

Buy from The Wine Vault, High Street, Waterford,
or online from dennisonwines.com »

Disclosure: wine was received free, for gratis and for nothing from David Dennison Fine Wines, Waterford.