The Lane Vineyard Beginning Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills
The Beginning Chardonnay is a part of The Lane Vineyard’s second tier ‘Occasion wines’ sitting just below their ‘Heritage wines’ but considerably lower in price.
The Chardonnay (Dijon clones) is selected from highest quality parcels of fruit – selected based on vine age, purity, depth and spectrum of flavours. The vines are close planted and lowing yielding, giving the Chardonnay its characteristic intensity. After being harvested by hand, Head Winemaker Michael Schreurs ages the wine in fine (new and old) French oak. The result is an intense, complex and structured cool-climate Adelaide Hills Chardonnay of finesse.
Fabulous lemon peel and cereal character with a long, malty sort of note on the finish. Glossy and stylish with excellent persistence and incredibly intense core fruit. So much so that the oak is barely perceptible, in fact! Reveals more detail with every sip - a wine of contemplation. Excellent.
18/20 points, JancisRobinson.com
Single vineyard Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills... You have to admire the florals here. It’s Chardonnay through and through but it has the prettiest of noses. It tastes of nectarine, chalk, spice and white peach, all of which comes rubbed with roasted cashew, even perhaps into sweet, roasted bacon. But it’s a fresh style, essentially zippy, and that aroma. It drinks well now but it will be better again in a year or so.
91+ points, Wine Front, June 2018
Light straw colour, youthful, and the aromas are shy but attractive with lightly-toasted almond nuances. The wine is light to medium-bodied in the mouth, a little dilute, with a quickly fading finish and attractive if simple flavour. It's attractive and balanced and drinks well now.
90 points, Real Review, May 2018
A rich, layered chardonnay with generous stone fruit, fig and cashew flavours, complexity still to make its mark.
90 points, Wine Companion (September 2018)
ADELAIDE HILLS
Located to the east of Adelaide,the Adelaide Hills is part of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Considered a cool-climate region, most vineyards are situated at elevations between 450 to 550 metres. Rainfall is relatively high and spring frosts often pose problems. Hot northerly winds also make bush fires a real threat in the region. Adelaide Hills is a jigsaw of meso-climates, with the best vineyards centred around Piccadilly Valley and Lenswood in protected sites facing north or north-east. Soils are derived from schistic and sedimentary rock; typically well-drained sandy loams over red clay interspersed with schistic gravels. A premium wine-growing region, Adelaide Hills is best known for crisp, lively Sauvignon Blanc and elegant cool climates styles of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.
