Wine review: Tyrrells Belford Vineyard 2012 Chardonnay

Chardonnay has been through some tough times in the last few decades, once the darling of the social set, now it's all sauvignon blanc darling. Oh, unless they are ahead of the curve and already onto the pinot grigio. Now there's the ABC crowd, (anything but chardonnay) but there's the also IALC crowd (I've always loved chardonnay) crowd, I have to say I'm in the second crowd.

In any case, chardonnay is a noble grape, capable of incredible diversity of style, complexity and better still it's an excellent medium for expressing the soil and climate from whence it came. Cool climates seem to work best but there are some anomalies in the equation. The best makers in the Hunter Valley make the point well.

This week's single vineyard chardonnay from the Belford vineyard, made by Tyrrells is a great example. It's from a warm climate but it looks cool, lovely crunchy acidity, fresh lemon and melon fruit and some fairly inconspicuous oak make for a bright fresh style that will rival the finest cool climate chardonnays in the country.

Like the best Hunter chardonnays, it should age gracefully as well..

* Fergus McGhie is marketing manager at Mount Majura Winery in Canberra.