Chardonnay’s evolution in Australia has followed a classic learning curve. The great white grape of Burgundy and Champagne was virtually unknown here until the 1970s. Now it is the nation’s most-planted white variety, accounting for half of all white wine produced.In the 1980s, Australian Chardonnay became known for its bold flavors and creamy texture. This style of Chardonnay was popular with wine drinkers at the time, and many Australian wineries focused on producing wines that were full-bodied and oaky.
However, in the 1990s, there was a backlash against this style of Chardonnay. Many wine drinkers began to prefer lighter-bodied wines with more acidity. This led to a shift in Australian Chardonnay production, with many wineries moving away from oak aging and towards a more fruit-forward style.
In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in Australian Chardonnay. Many wineries are now experimenting with different styles, including single-vineyard wines and wines made with minimal intervention. This has led to a more diverse range of Australian Chardonnays available on the market, and wine lovers now have more choice than ever before.
Initially, Australian winemakers fermented the clarified juice in steel tanks and bottled it unoaked; then they started maturing the steel-fermented wine in barrels, before finally cottoning on to the Burgundian practice of fermenting in barrels. Sometimes the wines underwent spontaneous malolactic fermentation, with the result that the acidity was low and needed correcting. Some opted to block the malo, as many still do.
Australian winemakers now have several decades of experience with Chardonnay, and the payoff comes in the form of a multitude of delicious, flavorsome yet refined wines from many regions.
Tasting the By Farr Chardonnay - Geelong Victoria - Over the years there has been a visible swing with interest especially the chardonnays coming from Geelong, region's most regarded, and Geelong grapes produce some stunning examples with an impressive depth of flavor and complexity. and Talking about Geelong, Anyone who’s been on the wine scene for a decade or three knows the name Gary Farr. The nuggetty, bearded founder of By Farr, who planted his own vines over the fence from Bannockburn Vineyards when he was the long-serving, and first, winemaker there.And the recent release By Farr Chardonnay 2022, supernaturally delicious,a beautiful wine. It covers the bases of freshness, flavors , texture and length and then adds the indefinable. If you feel in desperate need of one long lazy afternoon then this hands it to you. It’s stone fruity and grapefruit-edged and flinty and none of those things. Its cedarwood notes are painted on the bare skin of chardonnay. Trust. From the first sip it establishes trust.'
