Wakefield Estate Label Chardonnay 2021 (Australia) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a consistently delicious and well-made Chardonnay from Australia that returned to the LCBO recently as part of the feature in wines from the Southern Hemisphere in the February 4 LCBO VINTAGES Release.

It is produced by Wakefield Wines, the export brand of the Taylor family who bottle wines under their family name in Australia and New Zealand, but here in Canada and abroad they use the Wakefield branding. Bill Taylor Sr. and his two sons established their own estate winery in 1969 by the Wakefield River in Clare Valley, South Australia, when they planted their first vineyards and began a journey to create their own, authentic, estate grown wines. They achieved overwhelming success with their first vintage and expanded the range of their Estate Label wines to include this Chardonnay, among other wines.

Today, Wakefield Wines is led by the third generation of the family - brothers Mitchell, Justin, and Clinton - with a focus on continuing the family tradition of making delicious wines that stand the test of time. The family's philosophy is to produce wines sustainably and responsibly, while respecting the fruit and where it came from, as well as having a strong innovative spirit. One of the Taylor family's innovations is the Optimum Drinking Sensor that is located on the back label of many of their wines such as this Chardonnay.

I've enjoyed this Chardonnay for quite a few years now, including most recently the 2020 Wakefield Estate Chardonnay last April. While this wine was initially crafted with only Clare Valley fruit, it is increasingly using fruit from Padthaway, and this particular vintage is 100% Chardonnay composed of 70% Padthaway fruit and 30% from Clare Valley. To vinify this wine, a small portion was barrel-fermented and then lees stirred for 4 months. After 6 to 8 months of maturation in French oak, the wine was blended and bottled. I also like the fresh, new label that gives the bottle a more elegant, cohesive look.

The 2021 growing season in South Australia was very slightly warmer-than-average and very dry, with grapes ripening later-than-normal in the last half of March and into April, in sunny, windless, and cool days that enabled the perfect autumnal conditions. With near-perfect growing conditions, both wine regions of Padthaway and Clare Valley produced excellent quality wines with high acidity. Let's see how this 2021 Chardonnay from South Australia is tasting tonight...

Tasting Note:

WAKEFIELD ESTATE LABEL CHARDONNAY 2021 - Padthaway/Clare Valley, South Australia (#711556) (XD) - $17.95
Screw cap. Composed of 70% Padthaway and 30% Clare Valley Chardonnay, this has fresh, ripe, and attractive aromas of white peach, lemon, citrus, melon, buttery cream, and hints of vanilla rising out of the glass. It has very good weight on the creamy, spicy, medium-full bodied palate with lovely aroma replays of white peach, citrus, melon, butter, and vanilla spice flavours. It's lightly textured with juicy acidity on the mid-palate. Finishes gently spicy with leesy mineral notes on the finish, with very good length. Another winner from Wakefield and a highly recommended buy! Score: 89 pts

Other fine wines by Wakefield Wine are available at the LCBO and through their Agent - Profile Wine Group.