2023 Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay
2023 Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay

2023 Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay

98 pts
Oakridge |Yarra Valley |Chardonnay
Simply one of the most outstanding Chardonnays in Australia. A benchmark and an icon.
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
6 Reviews
Price:
$95.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

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 2023 vintage is characterised by coiled power and intensity. It shows powerful fruit which is 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. This is an excellent release of this much-revered icon of the Yarra Valley and one of the greatest Chardonnays Australia has to offer.

98 points
"The ’22 is the reigning Halliday Wine of the Year and this is, as you’d suspect, a worthy successor."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

97 points
"The 2023 864 Single Block Release Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay is awesome... I love this wine, and it looks utterly magnificent here today. Yes!"
- Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)
97 points
"Chardonnay for the win. This is just sensationally good."
- Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)
Campbell Mattinson

Campbell Mattinson

The Wine Front 97 Points

The Funder & Diamond Block is at Wandin East, and was (close) planted in 1990. The name Oakridge 864 Chardonnay speaks for itself. This 2023 edition is the 12th release of a single-block Chardonnay from the Funder & Diamond Vineyard, Drive Block (first produced in 2011).

Chardonnay for the win. This is just sensationally good. It’s powerfully fruited, powerfully complex and powerfully refreshing. That’s a combination for you. Peach, flint, chalk, green pineapple, crisp apple and mealy, cedar-y, smoky notes. It’s shows velocity, tension and calm in equal measure. On the finish it slings through to tomorrow. Nothing here is overdone and yet everything feels profound.

Erin Larkin

Erin Larkin

The Wine Advocate 97 Points

The 2023 864 Single Block Release Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay is awesome. It's nutty and gently reductive, saline and focused, with piercing intensity on the palate. It's salty, it's complex, it's sleek, the flavor is palate-staining, excellent. This superb wine is really impressive. The fruit was sourced from the Funder and Diamond vineyard (Drive Block), from vines closely planted in the red volcanic soils of Wandin East to the P58 clone in 1990. It was handpicked, then whole-bunch pressed direct to French puncheons (20% new) for wild fermentation and 10 months of élevage, followed by another six months (blended) on the fine lees in tank. I love this wine, and it looks utterly magnificent here today. Yes! 13.3% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

Customer Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 6 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 6 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
6 reviews
  • JL
    jo l.
    Verified Buyer
    1 year ago
    Reviewing
    2021 Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Brilliant wine

    Absolutely delicious . As good as any Australian Chardonnay I have tasted.

    Lovely minerality brilliant fruit and perfectly balanced.

    Was this helpful?
  • SR
    Stephen R.
    Verified Buyer
    1 year ago
    Reviewing
    2021 Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Blockbuster

    Gorgeous, full, structured Chardonnay from the Oakridge masters. Beautiful fruit shines through gorgeous oak treatment. Creamy vanilla and cashew sneaks through and make this an exceptional bottling. Excellent!

    Was this helpful?
  • AR
    ADAM R.
    Verified Buyer
    1 year ago
    Reviewing
    2021 Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    World class Chardonnay

    As good as any Chardonnay produced in Australia, or indeed anywhere in the World!

    Was this helpful?
Show More

Our 864 range features exceptional wines from specific and single blocks, produced in small quantities and released in only the best years. An Oakridge 864 wine is terroir-driven. Made to demonstrate the importance of time and place with every bottle, and always a tribute to tradition, these wines are ready to drink now or cellar.

Bright straw with an electric hue. A zesty lift of kaffir lime leaf and pithy citrus leaps from the glass, joined by notes of gunflint, white nectarine and alpine mint. The layers continue to build with notes of grated ginger and wet river stones, while toasted almonds and ginger snap biscuit hint at subtle oak. The palate is bright and crystalline, revealing lemon drops, candied lime, grapefruit pith and white nectarine. Texture and crunch are key. Tightly coiled, it reveals more flavour and texture over time, finishing with remarkable depth and length. A classic 864 Chardonnay release.

Funder & Diamond Vineyard. North facing at 240 metres above sea level. Close planted in the red volcanic soils of Wandin East in 1990 using the P58 clone and cropped at 6.0 t/Ha

All grapes 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 matured on its fermentation lees for 10 months in barrel followed by a further six months on lees in tank prior to bottling after a single filtration.

A vintage defined by cool, wet conditions, low crops and harvesting late into Autumn. The resulting wines have great depth of flavour and vibrant, balanced acidities. Flowering occurred in late October, fruit set in December and harvest on March 18th at 12.4° baume.

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type White
Body Full Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Australia
Region Yarra Valley
Australian State VIC
Feature High Score
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
The Wine Front
The Wine Advocate
Critic Score 98
97
Alcohol 13.5%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Screw Cap

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.

Cheif Winemaker Dave Bicknell Oakridge

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