2007 RESERVE CHARDONNAY
HUON HOOKE, GOURMET TRAVELLER WINE
February/March 2012
This is chardonnay writ very large: it's as full-bodied and hedonistic as it comes. Deep yellow; rich, nutty, nougat, toasted, caramelised bouquet which is voluminous and opulent in the mouth. Power, concentration and length. Majestic stuff!
HUON HOOKE, www.huonhooke.com
17 November 2011
Deep yellow, developed colour. Big, rich, nougat, roasted hazelnut, toasted almond and caramelised taste. Very rich and mouthfilling, deep and voluminous, really ample and big. Opulent wine. Very much a Kinzbrunner style. Powerful, concentrated and very long. Really reverberates around the mouth long after it's gone. A sensational, and massive, chardonnay!
PAUL IPPOLITO, 5 MINUTE WINE RUSH
29 September 2011
This wine should come with a big warning label. Don’t just buy one bottle it should say. You instead have been warned. The disappointment factor at the end of the first bottle is big. A tap to an upside down empty bottle doesn’t elicit much hope either. Perhaps I shouldn’t have shared it I say, treated loved ones, perhaps I should have consumed it all on my own, in a dark deserted corner, all in the name of wine writing. Anyway the end has come and it is time to put pen to paper.
A luxuriant luxurious seductive stunning Chardonnay delivered itself on my palate. Rich and lightly creamy, the soft smooth pure fruit, classic peach melon subsumes the senses. The oak has just melded seamlessly and balanced with the fruit and it is drinking so well synced and so soft and so harmoniously. This is a dazzling wine, one that will reward in the future, but wow it is drinking ever so good now.
The techo’s amongst you will want to know it is unfiltered and made by Rick Kinzbrunner of Giaconda fame. Traditional methods, handpicked grapes, low cropped Yarra Valley fruit etc – my advice is sink your nose into the glass and get carried away, like I have. Try it with lobster mornay, a match made in heaven. Drink to 2016. 97-98/100 – Exceptional.
NICK STOCK, THE AGE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD GOOD WINE GUIDE 2011 Edition
The maestro up at Giaconda has worked some serious magic on this Yarra Valley fruit; it has fragrant, sweet French oak and citrus in every guise, immensely concentrated. The palate's scintillatingly concentrated and powerful, with a no-holds-barred texture and fruit intensity to spare. Long peach and cashew finish.
WINE STATE, September/October 2011
Lovely flinty/lemon drop bouquet, some excellent toasty oak characters and nicely developed array of hazelnut oak and sweet peach flavours.
MAX CRUS, CLARENCE LIFE, September 2011
Lots of wines bear the moniker 'Reserve' undeservedly. This is not one of them. Love to try it in 2020. 8.9/10.
FERGUS MCGHIE, THE CANBERRA TIMES
Panorama, July 23 2011
I have to admit to being a chardonnay lover. It's one of the noble French varieties and when it's good there are few white varieties that come close. This 2007 Reserve Toolangi is one of the best I've tried all year. To be honest, I was expecting it to be quite broad and rich, being four years since vintage. While it certainly isn't shy, it is still packed with plenty of primary fresh flavour.
There's a touch of what I would call complex solids character, best described as a savoury smoky, stony aroma. The palate is rich but fine with lovely oatmeal and dried fig flavours. Best of all, the finish is crisp and fresh carried by long tingly citrus-laden acidity. I found this was one of those bottles I just couldn't leave alone, it disappeared in a flash.
Now I know it's not in the bargain end of the price scale at $70, but it's worth every cent. Made by Rick Kinzbrunner of Giaconda fame and sourced from a single low yielding site, it's a fair bit cheaper than burgundy of this quality and somewhat less than a Giaconda too. Try it with the best organic roast chicken you can find.
JAMES HALLIDAY, WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN MAGAZINE
OCTOBER 23-24 2010
Low-yielding estate-grown vines from a single block provided the grapes for this wine contract-made for Toolangi by Rick Kinzbruner; it was 100% barrel-fermented and matured for 16 months in French oak barriques. Gleaming green-gold, it is a wine of great power and complexity, with layers of stone-fruit flavours that are normally the domain of Grand Cru white burgundies. Cashew nut characters ex the oak and a pure line of acidity complete the picture. Rating 95. Drink to 2017.
