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2017 Tonic Wines Chardonnay

2017 Tonic Wines Chardonnay

Adelaide Hills, SA

Smoking cool climate Chardonnay from this cult-favourite producer.

$36.00

Out of Stock

SOLD OUT | CONTACT US FOR ALTERNATIVE SUGGESTIONS
About
It was a wonderful, cool year so we picked it by hand fairly late, and the fruit came in looking pristine.

Tonic Wines

About The Wine

Few wineries enjoy the feverish scramble for their new releases like Tonic Wines. And the fever is well deserved.

They make painfully small batches of wine - in the case of this Chardonnay only 120 dozen - and with the excellent quality and value over the last few vintages, it's no surprise.

This Chardonnay is sourced from the Bowe-Lees vineyard in Woodside, Adelaide Hills. The 2017 spent 40 hours on its skins before being basket pressed to barrel where it lay untouched, unstirred on lees for around 9 months. No malo.

Simple yet incredibly successful winemaking. With only a small allocation available, this may be your last chance to try this fascinating take on Chardonnay. Don't hesitate.

About The Producer

Tonic Wines has only been around for a short time but the wines have caused quite a stir.

These are small batch, handmade, minimalist South Australian wines with an aim to source high-quality parcels of fruit, picked early to capture freshness and vitality.

Tonic declares "We don’t really believe in boring wine", and with the remarkable Chardonnay, Grenache, Mataro and Nebbiolo released thus far, there are no signs of boring here.

These wines are produced in painfully small amounts, sometimes as little as 50 dozen per wine. If you are curious about this winery with mystique, you'll have to act quickly to try their delicious wares.

The eerie Tonic Grenache vineyard
The eerie Tonic Grenache vineyard
Clare Valley, SA
Additional Info

From The Producer

Chardonnay was the absolute star of the Adelaide Hills in 2017. It was just killer...all over the region...and we rode the wave as best we could. Heaps of flavour, heaps of acid, heaps of funk. Sounds a bit like Jamiroquai...or is that just us...(yes, 90's tragics)...

It was a pleasure to be back doing our thing in the superb Bowe-Lees vineyard in Woodside. We get together with owners Ann and Michael each year and have a coffee and mull over life, the universe, the vineyard, the wines and everything. They seem to like what we're doing with their fruit and that's almost the highest praise we can think of.

With a happy 2016 vintage under our belts we didn't do anything too different in 2017. It was a wonderful, cool year so we picked it by hand fairly late, and the fruit came in looking pristine. The vineyard is 23 years old now, so some nice maturity to the vines. 

As usual we whipped off the shoes and socks and set to it, stomping the fruit with very serious faces on. The juice spent 24 hours on its skins, adding interesting flavour and textural components before being basket pressed into French oak barrels for a natural fermentation. Once in there we left the juice on its lees, with regular topping but without any stirring, until racking and bottling in February 2018. It didn't go through malo-lactic fermentation and the final wine was neither fined nor filtered.

We leave all our wines alone in barrel, un-messed with, quietly maturing at their own speed. Tranquilo! We prefer not even to taste too often as it can sometimes make you doubt yourself and your philosophy. Just trust the quality of the fruit, the decision to pick when you did, and the minimal winemaking. 

Blend : Chardonnay (100%)
ABV : 12.20%
Closure : Cork
Drink Until : 2030
Bottle Size : 750ml
Production : 120 dozen

Expert Reviews

Critic Reviews

DDS review

It's not the funky beast of last year, but what it lacks in funk it more than makes up for in sheer class. A streamlined Chardonnay here, with grilled citrus, white nuts, a touch of flint and gunsmoke. The acidity weaves a spiderweb of saline through the spine of the wine, there's tactile, light grippiness and long finish of white stonefruit and wood spice. Phwoa. Killer Chardonnay. - Different Drop Wine Team

Customer Reviews
Delivery

Delivery is Free for any order over $149 or more, or just $10 for any orders of $149 or less. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mix pack!

Estimated delivery time frames with Australia Post can be viewed here. Please include Authority to Leave instructions in the ‘SPECIAL REQUESTS’ box during checkout if you may not be available to sign for your delivery and would like it left at your front door. The 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box can be found on the cart page before the final checkout page.

Warehouse Pickup Due to some restrictions on our warehouse lease agreement and COVID concerns we are no longer offering Warehouse Pickup as an option and will be delivering all orders moving forward. Delivery is free (for orders over $149) and fast so please select one of our great delivery options at checkout. Sorry for any inconvenience caused by this change! The Different Drop Team.

Express Same Day Delivery is available for Sydney postcodes within 10km of the CBD. There is a $10 delivery surcharge and the order is needs to be placed before 12pm midday weekdays for same day delivery. Express courier deliveries cannot be left unattended and require a receiver signature.

Our Heat Policy can be viewed here. If you would like us to hold dispatch of your order for milder weather please leave instructions to do so in the 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box found on the cart page before the final checkout. We are happy to hold it for as long as you like. All orders are fully insured so you can buy with full confidence that these tasty beverages will get to you in tip-top shape.

Returns are free for 100 days after purchase. You can view the conditions of our return policy here

For any other shipping related inquiries, please see our helpful FAQ, email us at hello@differentdrop.com or call us on 1300 668 385..

FaQs
Do I have to order in dozens?

No, please mix it up! You can order wines in any quantity and variation you like. You can order 1 bottle or 50. We challenge you to make the ultimate mixed pack of wine!

Are there volume discounts?

No our pricing is aiming to the best in the market already. For very large orders (weddings etc) we are open to negotiating though. Just give us a call. How does the price match work?

Everyday Low & Consistent Pricing is something we strongly believe in. We want our customers to feel confident they are always getting the best price. If you see a price lower somewhere else let us know and we'll match it. We'll even retrospectively refund you if you have already purchased from us but you see a lower price somewhere later on. Our price match policy can be seen here.

I am trying to add more of a wine to my cart but it won’t let me?

This means we are running low on stock of that wine. So for example, if the website will only allow you to add 3 bottles and no more, then that is all we have of that particular wine. The good news is we may be able to order more for you. Just contact us on 1300 668 385 or hello@differentdrop.com and we'll organise the additional quantity for you.

Does Different Drop have a physical store?

No, not really. More of a warehouse/office. We do however offer a Click & Collect option from our warehouse in Ultimo, Sydney. Our warehouse address for Click & Collect is: F5A, 42 Wattle St, Ultimo, 2007

Can I special order a wine you do not sell?

If it’s doable, then we’ll make it happen. Just contact us directly via phone, chat or email and we’ll find out for you right away. Please note that in most cases special orders such as these will need to be in full case lots (6 or 12 bottles).

More FaQs: here