Scarborough 2011 Yellow Label Chardonnay

Scarborough does wonderful things with Chardonnay in the Hunter Valley and the Yellow Label is their out and proud ‘old school’ style of chardonnay. In all but the odd horror Hunter Valley vintages, I can rely on this wine.

Smells of lemon, traces of lemon rind, cashews and spicy, creamy oak

On the palate, juicy lemon, ripe grapefruit, an alluring creamy texture and clean acid. Some integrated oak flavours on the back palate. 

Clean, flavoursome and refreshing, but not overpowering or too woody. The body and flavour to make it a versatile wine to drink with across a range of white meat dishes (seafood to roast chicken thighs).

Old school but wearing a shiny new suit.

Ratings: 91pts

ABV: 13.5%

RRP: $23 (Cellar Door)

Website: www.scarboroughwine.com.au

2012 Scarborough Green Label Semillon

If asked to describe the Scarborough winery to friends, two things spring to mind: they provide one of the best cellar door experiences in the Hunter Valley and have a range of wines with clear intent and purpose.  

In regards to the latter comment, Scarborough has two semillons in their range that offer a clear point of difference. The Green Label Semillon is Scarborough’s early drinking, approachable take on the variety, with the pricier White Label being more austere-when-young and cellar-worthy.

The Green Label Semillon has a ripe nose of lemon, with crunchy granny smith apple, passionfruit, apple blossom and a hint of green pear. On the palate the wine has refreshing acidity that cleanses, is not sharp or harsh and has generous lemon/lemon pith flavours at the back. The finish is clean and dry.

The Green Label is arguably ripe in the context of young Hunter Semillon while not trying to be something the variety is not– a positive example of a ‘drink now’ white wine that is approachable with broad appeal, yet does not have to imitate the hegemonic Sauvignon Blanc style.

This would match nicely with seafood, poached chicken or even pork fillet in the approaching spring months.

Rating: 90pts

ABV: 11.2%

RRP: $20

Website: www.scarboroughwine.com.au

Scarborough Chardonnay - 2010 Yellow Label & 2011 Blue Label (Hunter Valley)

These two wines present a good study in both the old and the new when it comes to Australian Chardonnay. Scarborough’s Yellow Label Chardonnay, while not their most expensive wine, is something akin to a flagship, and harks back to the rich and powerful Chards of yesteryear. The Blue label is a more elegant, less oak driven style of Chardonnay, and much more in line stylistically with where many Australian Chardonnays have moved.

Importantly, both wines are good examples of their styles and avoid the extremes of those styles that have often been evident in Australian Chardonnay.

2010 Yellow Label Chardonnay – $23 -  From a warm and fast vintage. The wine sees a blend of old and new oak, partial malolactic fermentation, and a regular stirring of lees. Classic old school flavours of butterscotch, peach, and grilled nuts. It’s rich, with plenty of oak input, but it always remains in balance. Luscious mouthfeel. It lacks a bit of intensity and length for a higher score, but it’s nevertheless a lovely drink. 3.5 stars

2011 Blue Label Chardonnay – $21 - From a very good Hunter Valley vintage. This wine only sees old oak, no malolactic fermentation, and a regular stirring of lees. It’s a quality Chardonnay with both generosity and restraint on display. Citrus and stonefruits. A nice touch of creaminess is balanced by a lovely acidity and gives the wine an appealing texture before delivering a long, dry finish. Its approachable now with a bit of air, but will be at its best in another couple of years. Great drinking. 4 stars

Website: www.scarboroughwine.com.au      



Red  

Scarborough 2010 Blue Label Chardonnay

The Scarborough winery in the Hunter Valley devotes considerable attention to Chardonnay, arguably the global king of white grapes, though a second class citizen in a region (justifiably) dominated by Semillon. Still, they manage to produce very reliable, regionally expressive, modern interpretations of Chardonnay in a variery of styles.The Blue Label is the entry level, accessible wine in this range.
It smells and tastes of subtly spicy ripe peach and yellow nectarine fruit (the fruit flavours being what I like to call the Hunter 'fruit salad' flavour), though on the palate there is also a nicely balancing squeeze of lemon and a hint of lemon zest. Overall there is generous fruit flavour at the front and mid palate, a velvet like texture, finishing gently with some spicy old oak and subtle smokiness.

Good value for money and a nice example of a modern classic hunter Chardonnay: it has the flavour and the fruit, the oak is not overdone, though present, and there is enough zing to make it a refreshing wine to drink with several different dishes. Despite the arctic weather on the east coast of Australia at the moment, it's summertime, drink up.

Rating: 90pts+ (+ is for dinner party versatility and its ability to make a Sauvignon Blanc drinker understand they can get their ‘fix’ plus so much more without resorting to their white wine of choice).

ABV: 13.0%
Price: $20
Website: www.scarboroughwine.com.au/

EDIT: In light of this interesting article on Australian Chardonnay styles by Huon Hooke in a major Australian broadsheet newspaper (link: here), I would specifically note that this wine is on the leaner side of ripe. It may be a symptom of trying more and more of the modern Australian Chardonnays that are in the leaner, 'Chablis' style that I refer to the 'ripe fruits' in this wine. Compared to the derided 'Dolly Parton' 1980's era oaky tropical chardonnay, the Blue Label is more on the taut and trim side of things. However, it is not anorexic (a fate befalling more Australian Chardonnays as the lean trend mentioned in the article continues to gather pace). For the price, I maintain it would be a popular choice for many, especially who like the 'just right' category of fruit to acid/lean balance.
RB 13/12/11