1995 MONTANA Ormond Estate Chardonnay-Gisborne.NZ

Attila · Post by **Attila** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 8:38 am

Tasting Note No.20

I was amazed upon tasting this. In fact I'm still amazed. Had it on World Cup Final night, Australia vs the Barmy Army in their not so manly white jersey displaying a red rose. You all know the result, Rugby Union won, the cup went to the northern hemisphere and Australia didn't loose. It was an amazing night in, thanks to the great teams and this great chardonnay in my glass.

The grapes were picked before rain fell in Gisborne. About 35% of the grapes were hand picked, the rest by machine in early April from the Ormond site near Poverty Bay. All grapes were barrel fermented with 35% going through malo-lactic fermentation. The wine spent 8 months in French oak, 70% of the barrels were new. Bottled in January 1986. The back label says: 'CELLAR FOR UP TO TEN YEARS' I took this wine up on that and opened it 8 years after the vintage.

Colour deep golden and bright. Reserved nose of melon, passionfruit and guavas. Superb, soft palate of melons with pure chardonnay fruit. Amazing balance and harmony. Nothing 'old' about this wine. Mature with impeccable and beautiful creamy oak on the finish. Fine acid. Faultless. Enchanting complexities...I can't get over that deeply flavoured soft chardonnay fruit! At it's peak now but will hold until 2005. No sign of tiredness at all. A grand wine from Montana. I wish there was a Burgundy producer with me at the table. To compensate, my wife and her girlfrend Mary, are impressed to the level of sighs. Mary only took her eyes off the glass when English goal kicker Wilkinson appeared on the Tv screen. 'Handsome looking fellow...' she says while getting comfortably tipsy on my great Gisborne chardonnay. Tomorrow it's cellar stocktake for me. I MUST find an other bottle of this somewhere in there. I bought it for around AU $23 on release and now this price looks ridiculously cheap. There has to be an other bottle of this because just like the game, we all loved it.

Tasted:November 2003.

(I tried the 1998 a few days later. A totally different, heavy and oaky chardonnay, still good, going strong, but not in the class of the 1995)

michel · Post by **michel** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 9:16 am

Totally agree Atilla,

Tried the 94 of this two years ago and was impressed that a new world chardonnay could age this well.Tried it with Roast and braised cabbage. The big O on the label denotes this one- there are others in the stable as well. The price has been 24 dollars for as long as I have seen them.
cheers
michel