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2017 Oakridge Local Vineyard Series Henk Vineyard Chardonnay
2017 Oakridge Local Vineyard Series Henk Vineyard Chardonnay
31% OFF
$28.90 (buy 6 or more)
$31.99 per single bottle
Love it or your money back*
On orders
over $300*
Stock Location: Winery
Love it or your money back*
On orders Over $300*
Stock Location: Winery
Expert Reviews
A standout vineyard with what feels like a strong influence of terroir. If the aromas of flint, chalk, sandstone, dried white blossoms, white peppers, dried nutmeg, acacia and dried citrus peel don’t grab your attention, then nothing will. This does about everything right for a cool-climate chardonnay, marrying a strong center palate of textured citrus fruit and spicy complexity with an ethereally long line of acidity and pith. First commercially available vintage of this stunning site in the Yarra. Amazing now but better in 2025.'
Light yellow colour, reserved. The bouquet is led by a smoky sulfide and oak note, and the taste is bright and fresh, intense and fruit-driven, not overly complex, but delicious. The wine is superbly taut and focused, the flavour pure and refined and very long. There's a magical combination of delicacy and intensity. '
Hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed direct to French puncheons for wild fermentation and 10 months maturation on lees. The bouquet is complex, but picked by the scruff of its neck by zesty lime/grapefruit flavours, a faint touch of pleasing reduction (courtesy of Emile Peynaud) adding to the personality of the wine.
If you ever want to pass some wine wisdom on to someone, just say these three words: Oakridge And Chardonnay. You pretty much can’t miss. This Henk release is chardonnay in its pomp, awash with stonefruit and grapefruit, laced with spice, tipped with toast and just flinty enough to give it some flash. It’s pure as a summer’s morning, complex as a family Xmas. Beaut buying.'
Tech stuff
Light
Full
How's it taste?
Perfectly pitched, floral driven Chardonnay with citrus as its backbone, and an overwhelming feeling of place and vintage. Nougat, chalk, nettle. Grapefruit pith, green apple turnover cake, baking spices. Lots going on, nothing short or missing a beat. This will unravel over years.
How was it made?
A traditional winemaking approach was used to produce this wine; handpicking and whole bunch pressing directly to 500 litre French oak puncheons for a natural fermentation, followed by 10 month maturation on lees.
Who made it?
Oakridge was first setup in 1978 as what was originally a family company. By the turn of the century the label was gobbled up by a large Australian wine company (where it flailed) until being taken back into family hands with the talented David Bicknell on winemaking duties in 2002. Since then Oakridge - and David Bicknell - has garnered a reputation as one of our finest Chardonnay makers, with a particularly handy Pinot and Shiraz or two also in the Oakridge portfolio Oakridge is all about the Yarra Valley, and particularly the Upper Yarra where it sources much of it's fruit from. The range starts with the Over the Shoulder wines which are designed as food friendly entry-level drops that would likely find a home on wine lists around the nation. The next step up is the Estate wines, and Local Vineyard Series, which serve to highlight several different vineyards around the Yarra. Finally, the top tier is the 864 wines, including a single vineyard Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, with the Chardonnay in particular regarded as one of Australia's finer modern whites.
Not quite what you’re looking for?
Liz OReilly
Senior Wine Advisor
It’s a dirty job but someone has to try all these wines for you and over the past 16 years as a Personal Wine Advisor I’ve tried a few! I like to try a wine twice as wine can often taste different in different situations. So if you still haven't found what you're looking for, here are a few that I have tasted recently that might suit.
