2014 Yarra Valley, 864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay, Oakridge
About Producer
Founded in 1978, Oakridge was at the forefront of reviving the Yarra Valley as a wine region in the early 1980s. Under the aegis of David Bicknell who was appointed as chief winemaker in 2002, this estate has become one of Yarra Valley’s leading producers of chardonnay and pinot noir, notably thanks to its outstanding ‘864’ single block releases.
Varietals
Chardonnay. From a north-facing vineyard at 240m high with vines planted in 1990 on red volcanic soil. Matured for 10 months in French oak (25% new) before another 6 months in tank.
About Appellation
Vines were first planted in the Yarra Valley in 1838 and viticulture surged through the 1860s and 1870s until the 1930s, when the economic depression brought a halt to wine production. It was not until the late 1960s that the Valley saw the first signs of viticultural renaissance when vineyards began to reappear in the region, resulting in a large number of newly established wineries by the 1990s.
Tasting Notes
Alluring nose of ripe orchard fruits, citrus, lime peel, vanilla, chalk, burnt match and honeysuckle, supple mouthfeel with seamless texture, remarkable purity of fruit and excellent depth, oodles of flavours of green apple, nectarine, nashi pear, pomelo, candied lemon, cashew, and hints of ginger and fennel, flinty wet stone notes and mouth-watering acidity carrying through a long, mineral-inflected finish. From a specific and single block, produced in small quantities and only released in the best years, this is a superb wine with ethereal elegance, amazing drive and subtle complexity. Often considered one of the finest chardonnay of Australia, it’s deliciously flamboyant and concentrated yet shrouding its restrained muscularity in extraordinary finesse and precision. I particularly love the beguiling balance of power, freshness and delicacy that cruises along the palate and lingers long throughout the aftertaste. (10/2023)