864. Oakridge. Funder & Diamond. Chardonnay. The 2015 vintage. It’s enough to get you salivating at the prospect.
Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
About The Wine
The Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay is one of the giants of Australian Chardonnay.
Crafted by one of the country's most gifted makers of the variety, this single block wine is considered by many as a benchmark wine for the region. The 2015 vintage is characterised by coiled power and intensity. The impact of powerful fruit beautifully framed by trimmings of fine French oak and some savoury lees character.
Complexity tempered with an easy approachability. It's a wine to behold.
The reviews for this release have been outstanding with James Halliday awarding this vintage 97 points and 95 points from the Wine Front's Campbell Mattinson. This is an excellent release of this much revered icon of the Yarra Valley.
About Oakridge
Oakridge is one of the Yarra Valley's most respected wineries.
Under the direction of master winemaker Dave Bicknell, it has been a major player in defining the modern styles of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Yarra over the last decade.
From the elite 864 range to the amazing value Over The Shoulder range, there's quality at the core of everything Oakridge puts its hand to.
Bicknell has rare touch as a winemaker, carefully eeking out the individual character of each vineyard he works with.
Each wine speaks with absolute clarity of where it comes from. These are excellent, masterfully crafted wines and great value to boot.
Yarra Valley, VIC
From The Producer
WINEMAKING NOTES
All grapes were hand harvested and sorted prior to whole bunch pressing directly to French oak puncheons for natural fermentation. 20% of the barrels were new. Post-fermentation, the wine was sulphured and matured on its gross lees for 10 months, prior to blending and bottling after a single filtration.
GROWING CONDITIONS
A warm spring and mild summer has resulted in excellent crops and ideal harvesting conditions. The wines have outstanding depth of flavor and structure.
Blend : Chardonnay (100%)
ABV : 14.00%
Closure : Screw cap
Drink Until : 2035
Bottle Size : 750ml
Yarra Valley, VIC
Critic Reviews
"Oakridge's 864 series represents a number of micro-selections across propitiously situated blocks in the finest single vineyards. Made simply, with whole-bunch pressing to oak, 20% new, fermentation took place under the aegis of ambient yeasts. The result is a stunning wine of verve, with stone fruit, oatmeal and truffle splayed across a tensile spine of bright acidity and smoky mineral crunch. The oak imparts some cinnamon cream. The finish stains the mouth, driven long by the immaculate structural supports and intensity of fruit." - James Halliday (Halliday Wine Companion)
"864. Oakridge. Funder & Diamond. Chardonnay. The 2015 vintage. It’s enough to get you salivating at the prospect.Grapefruit. It swerves straight at you. Peachiness is all well and good but grapefruit flavours always seem to add a certain gravity. It’s interesting in the context of this release, where measure and elegance seem to have been prized above straight-out fruit intensity, and indeed over enthusiastic winemaking. It’s not a particularly wild wine. The vineyard has the podium pretty much all to itself. Yes there are flint and meal notes, almond maybe, a smokiness. A creaminess too, sprinkled with spice. But that strong, silken run of fruit drives the wine and manages the finish. It’s a wine that will disappoint no one." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
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