Adelaide Hills Chardonnay ‘a viable alternative to Burgundy’

Winemakers in the Adelaide Hills have upped their game with Chardonnay so much that the wines now offer a viable alternative to Burgundy according to one key producer.

The pretty Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills

Speaking to the drinks business during a recent visit to the region, Andrew Hardy of Petaluma said:

“It’s all about fruit here – more malic and less malo. Styles have become more retrained in the Adelaide Hills and we’re getting more of that gun flint character, but we have to keep our luscious style – creamy and complex with bodyweight and texture from the oak, which complements it.

“While the region is known for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay is the most important and most exciting variety we have and it will make or break us.

“I genuinely believe the Chardonnays we’re making here offer a viable and affordable alternative to Burgundy. We’re making a lot more elegant wines now with lusciousness, fruit expression and less oak influence. There’s a lot of interest in them at the moment.”

Shaw + Smith Lenswood Chardonnay

While he admitted that oak was “integral” to Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, Hardy revealed that oak use was becoming far more restrained.

“We used to be making 100% malo Chardonnays with a lot of new oak but we’ve been reining it in recently and our oak formats are getting bigger,” he said.

And while it is important to start exploring the differences between the sub regions, Hardy believes the key aim at the moment is for producers to collectively promote the Adelaide Hills.

“The Barossa Valley is regonised all around the world – we’d love some of that magic to rub off on us,” he told db.

Meanwhile, Dan Coward of Shaw and Smith believes climate change has played its part in changing the style of Chardonnay made in the region.

“Chardonnay in the Hills has changed so much since climate change. You wouldn’t have dreamt of picking in February and now most people have finished picking by then,” he said.

“We’re trying to get back to the fruit and build up texture. Generosity of fruit is very important for Chardonnay from the Hills.

“Oak use in the Hills has dropped off dramatically – winemakers are playing a lot more to the fruit character now,” he added.

As for the 2015 vintage, he describes it as “crackerjack” for Chardonnay and one to keep and eye on. “The acids go on and on,” he enthused.