Hill-Smith Chardonnay 2014 Wine Review

Hill-Smith Chardonnay 2014

Eden Valley, South Australia, Australia

Community Score:90/100

Community Reviews: 8

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Price: $21.95

Drink: 2015-2018

Bottle size: 750 ml

Alcohol: 12.5%

Sweetness: Extra Dry

Wine Type: White Wine

Winery: Hill-Smith

Agent: Breakthru Beverage Canada Inc.

Natalie's Score: 92/100

Love the toasted almond undertone here in this rich yet ethereally balanced cool-climate Australian Chardonnay. Full-bodied but not heavy with lovely acidity. Green apple and pear on the nose and palate. Good layers of complexity and freshness. Satisfying finish. Try with seared tuna.

Chardonnay food pairings: seared tuna, planked salmon, smoked whitefish and crème fraiche.

Charming Grilled Chicken Wine

This Hill-Smith Chardonnay 2014 was reviewed on August 4, 2016 by Natalie MacLean

More Vintages: 2015 2010

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Pricing & Stock Information

LCBO
361584
$21.95
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Reviews and Ratings

Carola Price rated this wine as 92/100 with the following review:

Light gold and very bright. Citrus, almond and some squash (don't ask). The flavour is some peach, citrus, white flowers, butter and subtle oak. An amazing example of well made Aussie Chardonnay. Just the right amount of acidity and a wisp of oak makes for a well balanced wine. Pair with grilled fish, Vietnamese food, roast chicken, and lots of veggie nachos with fresh guacamole and pico de gallo. Drink now to 3 years

Jane Staples - Certified Sommelier rated this wine as 91/100 with the following review:

A cool-climate Chardonnay from Eden Valley, Barossa, Australia. Mouth-watering with lots of citrus lemon/lime and apple on nose, while the palate gives tart apple, citrus and melon. Zippy acidity and tingling citrus finish.
Tasted July 2016

Jacky Blisson rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

Pale yellow gold. Restrained, elegant nose with fresh almonds, lime and subtle mineral and floral notes. The bracing acidity is nicely balanced by the medium body, subtle creaminess and concentrated core of citrus fruit. The minerality and nutty flavours linger on the finish. The oak element is very light here, just enough to add structure without leaving too heavy an aromatic imprint. Very stylish.

Cherie Cole rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

Lemony-citrus notes on the nose with a creamy, butter, lemon tart flavour on the palate. Well balanced acidity and body. Lovely citrus finish. Tasted July 24, 2016.

Craig Kuziemsky rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

Stone fruit and some smoke on the nose with the palate offering up peach, citrus and toasted almond notes. Pair with grilled whitefish or tilapia.

Over five generations the Hill-Smith family has been a pioneer in locating exceptional vineyard sites that maximise the personality of its wines. A favourite playground has been the Eden Valley, in the rugged and undulating high country of the Barossa where the Chardonnay fruit for this wine has been sourced. Capitalising on our experience and success with growing the original Burgundian clones in our family vineyards, plantings of these special clones in selected growers’ vineyards have now come of age for this blend.
The distinctive label, featuring an original painting of the vineyard by Wyndham Hill-Smith O.B.E., combines the tradition at the heart of the Hill-Smith family with the contemporary styling befitting a modern Australian classic.
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
The lead up to vintage was warm and mild; with rain late in 2013 setting the vines up well for the harvest ahead. In the new year there was a series of warm weather events and a bout of unseasonably heavy rain followed, however, the weather quickly returned to much milder, dry conditions for the remainder of the vintage. This allowed the vines to recover and the fruit to fully ripen. The resulting wines show good flavour and aromatics with balanced acidity. A testament to vignerons’ vigilance, winemakers patience and the resilience of the grapevine!
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
The vineyards that contribute to this blend are scattered throughout Eden Valley, and have been selected especially for Chardonnay. These sites are characterised by their cool, high elevation and granitic, mica shist soils. The long ripening periods here are perfect for flavour accumulation and intensity. These different vineyard sites provide a rich tapestry of flavours, each adding their own unique character to the final blend. The finer flavours produced by these clones, in combination with the use of natural ‘wild yeast’ fermentation by indigenous vineyard yeasts, produce a more complex and elegant wine with rich creamy flavour and tangy acidity. Palate structure and texture is further enhanced through extended lees contact and regular lees stirring after completion of fermentation. Around 70% of the blend was fermented and matured in new and 1-2 year old fine-grained French oak barriques to add weight and texture, with the balance of the wine fermented in stainless steel to retain fruit freshness and vibrancy in the final blend.
WINEMAKER’S COMMENTS
Pale gold in colour with green tints. Fragrant citrus blossom, fresh quince and peach aromas are complemented by subtle hints of struck flint and wild yeast complexity. Generous flavours of fresh stone fruits and white nougat are balanced by a zesty citrus acidity. A fine, creamy, lemon curd texture complements the acid freshness leading to a moreish, slightly savoury finish. Drink now or cellar for up to 3 years.
Enjoy with a bowl of smoked salmon fettuccine, lemon zest, capers and crème fraiche. Vegan-friendly.

This is a South Australia, Eden Valley Chardonnay with Bosc pear, green apple and some guava. Eden Valley is tucked into the Mount Lofty Ranges, where the climate is cool and perfect for producing clean, crisp Chardonnay. More than five generations of the Hill-Smith family have been making wine in this rugged terrain. Natural yeasts were used in fermentation with barrel aging in fine-grained French oak barriques for less than a year. - Community Wine Reviews

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Hill-Smith Chardonnay 2014 Wine Review

Natalie's Score: 92/100

Pricing & Stock Information