IN a market saturated
with good, reasonably-
priced chardonnay for
twenty years, the trend
toward alternative
grapes, sauvignon blanc
and rarities like the
marsanne and viognier,
was inevitable.

But if' vou figure the
mighty charde minay is going ti to
roll over and play pass
again. All sorts of new ver-
sions of the wine are appear-
ing, “unoaked,” “unfiltered,”
“malolactic fermented,”
etcetera.

Leave it to the Aussies
make sense of this confusing
Tour de Babel by offering a
range of house marque wines
that are liquid textbooks on

ct wine-making
methods which account for
the myriad differences in that
“glass of the chardonnay” you
keep ordering.

The merger of the giant
Mildara firm with the smal!
but internationally recognized
Wolf Blass some years back
was a marriage of corporate
clout and artisan craft. The
Mildara-Blass “Opal” series of
wines are the offspring of a
union clearly destined for
international as well as domes-
tic success.

The Opal chardonnays,
named for varieties of
Australia’s rare and precious
natural gem, are each
designed to highlight one of
four main approaches to mak-
ing wine from the noblest of
the world’s white wine grapes.

I was given an

walking tour”
through the Opal chardon-
nays, guided by Rob Dolan,
senior winemaker at Mildara-
Blass’ Yarra Glen property,
and Michael Willingham of
Vanceuver’s Vintage
Consultants Ltd. These wines
will be available through the
fall °98 scason, so if you pick
up a brace or two you can

fohn Moore
WINE SPOTS

break out the baguettes and
Bric, host an educational com-
parative tasting and have a
party into the bargain.

White Opal Chardonnay
1997 $15.95

‘This is the “new face of
chardonnay; “unwooded,”
fermented in temperature-
controlled stainless steel tanks,
fresh as green pear or crisp
apple, with all its trait right up
front, unmasked by any con-
tact with oak.

Light-bodied and lively,
not designed tor long k
but surprisingly crisp and
This racy new style could
tainly give Loire-style fume
blanes, sancerre or vouvray
serious competition at the fi
and oyster bar.

Black Opal Chardonnay
1997 $15.95

Launched in 1986, this is
the mother that made the
family fortune and bred the
Opal line. Not hard to under-
stand its more than a decade
of success; this is classic
chardonnay —~ a masterfully
restrained touch with the oak,
just enough to bring a
rounder, peachier richness to
the fruit.

Perfectly balanced and
downright elegant.

Boulder Opal Mafo-Oak
Chardonnay 1997 $20.95

Secondary “malolactic”
fermentation is a contentious
topic among wine-makers,
particularly with white wines.
Some swear by it, others avoid
it. My brother-in-law and tast-
ing associate, Ab Bryant, picks
up a cloying “lactic” aftertaste
from some reds, where malo-
lactic fermentation is more

THE four flavours of Chardonnay as demonstrated by the Mildara-Blass Opats.

voids them.
s usually used

common, and

mate white wines (chablis and
burgundy), but can also add
complexity and depth to the
flavour.

The oak is more pro-

nounced here than in Black
Opal, as is the deep peach and
honev richness, which will
make it appeal to lovers of
“far” assertive chardonnay.

Flame Opal 1997
Unfiltered Chardonnay
$20.95

A Taste of Beaujolais Nouveau
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Sunday. Novernber 15, 1998 — North Shore News - 33

modern techniques which

act from che

Ad uniqueness of
wine by turning it into an
industrial rather than artisan
product.

Here, longer contact with
the grass lees and minimal
handling and “processing,”
along with traditional oak
maturation, produce a big
full-tlavoured wine with cam-
plex hints of liquid honey and
melony tropical fruit against a
structure of subdued oak

Unfiltered, its compl
will grow with age so if you've
got a cool dark hiding P'
this is one to squirrel 3
five years or more.

Four distinctive wines, all
chardonnays, vet each unique
in style and flavour.
Comparing them will give you
a clearer sense of the sevle vou
prefer and an insight into
what the maker of your
favourite chardonnay is doing
that tickles the G-spot on your
particular palate.

If you can’t find anything
in this Opal mine that makes
the earth move, give up
chardonnay and go back to
drinking liebfraumileh and
soda “spritzers.”

Photo submitied

Filtration is another testy
subject with winemakers
There is a small trend aw
from filtering, as with many

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