Heemskerk Chardonnay

In our never-ending search for great Chardonnay from anywhere on the planet, we decided to sip this Tasmania drop while watching England vs Italy in the Six Nations 2015. The saleswoman at Laithwaites described the style we were seeking to a tee - well-balanced with perfect expression of oak...sold! Perfect plan for Valentine's Day ;-). Pale yellow, fairly transparent on the eye. Pleasant. Nutty, slightly oaky, grapefruit and lemon on the nose. Wow, excellent! Subtle perfume of what we expect …

Six nations tasting (Pyrmont) : slight herbs and chicken meat, perfumed…lemon, very citrus, slight farty, meh.

Aromas of peach and apricot, mixed with some florals. The palate is engaging. Fleshy but at the same time it's restrained. There's lemon, which is not tart at all, and not detected on the nose. The main flavours are of yellow fruits. The oak is well integrated. There's a high note of ginger spice on otherwise gentle finish.

2014 Sydney Royal Wine Show - Exhibitor's Tasting & Trophy Wines Lunch (Homebush & Four Seasons Hotel) : [bronze medal] {screwcap} Light flowery-smelling nose. Restrained, with little oak apparent. The palate has medium acidity, gentle peach-like flavours and an under-stated light/medium-bodied presence. Good even palate finish medium-length; this is very shy just now (an odd choice for a show entry) but should glow in a few years.