Rockbare McLaren Vale Chardonnay 2007

Once again Tim Burvill has fashioned an exceptional wine in Rockbare’s 2007 McLaren Vale Chardonnay. Pale yellow with a glint of sunlight, the vibrant 2007 Rockbare Chardonnay appears radiant and even regal in the glass. Even more exciting is the aroma this wine exudes – a delicate yet seductive bouquet of freshly baked bread, caramel and mountain apples. However, the best is yet to come: the 2007 Rockbare Chardonnay offers a complex, refreshing mouthful of pure elegant Chardonnay fruit, pinpoint minerality, and delicious finely integrated oak tones that complement the rest of the wine, rather than dominate it. In short, Rockbare has fashioned another seamless, European style Chardonnay in McLaren Vale that is both complex and dry. But no surprise here, Tim Burvill has been working his magic with Chardonnay at Rockbare from day one. And certainly the flamboyant, medium-bodied 2007 Rockbare Chardonnay can stand with the best New and Old World Chardonnays. For optimal enjoyment, we suggest you serve this elegant, flavorful Chardonnay only lightly chilled (about 50º F), in the manner of the best white wines of Burgundy. In this case the lesser the chill, the greater the thrill. Indeed, it would be a shame to miss any of the subtle charm and complexity that the 2007 Rockbare McLaren Vale Chardonnay has to offer by over chilling.

The 2007 Rockbare McLaren Vale Chardonnay provides the ideal complement to all kinds of shellfish, white fish, and poultry. It shines at a dinner party, especially in the company of Alaskan king crab claws, lobster, or steamed oysters in a creamy garlic sauce. Clams, shrimp, and scallops provide equally fine accompaniments. But rest assured fruits de mer are not the only noteworthy complements to the 2007 Rockbare Chardonnay. A simple Parmesan crusted chicken breast or crispy chicken fritters with a honey Dijon glaze pair well with this wine, too, as does a vegetable and feta cheese stuffed acorn squash. Freshly cut apples and pears that are served with a soft cheese such as Bel Paese, Cheddar or Gruyere provide another wonderful accompaniment as Chardonnay is truly one of the ideal complements to cheese. Enjoy!

Rockbare is one of the most consistent Australian producers of Chardonnay and Shiraz. The handiwork of Tim Burvill, Australian winemaker extraordinaire, Rockbare fashions outstanding McLaren Vale wines. McLaren Vale is a relatively small viticultural area of South Australia that is known for its premium grapes and its abundance of meticulously tended, family owned vineyards, which not surprisingly turn out some of the very finest wines Australia has to offer. Tim Burvill has run the gamut in Australian viticulture. He gained extensive winemaking experience working at Southcorp, one of Australia’s leading wine conglomerates, where he was responsible for making what many consider to be Australia’s most exciting and expensive premium Chardonnay Yattarna. Equally well versed with red and white wines, as well as the merits of technical razzle-dazzle, Tim made a conscious effort when he created the Rockbare label in 2000 to eschew technical homogeneity along with the smoke and mirrors employed by so many other Australian winemakers. Instead, he employs winemaking techniques at Rockbare that were more in vogue a century or more ago. Using minimal filtering, or even a no filtration approach, and very little oak, Tim does not obscure or obliterate the great McLaren fruit he sources from the region’s premier vineyards. Instead, Rockbare’s wines are filled with complex flavors driven by outstanding fruit and natural acidity, not some wine technocrat’s rendition of the Molotov cocktail. Rockbare puts all of its attention into producing just two outstanding McLaren Vale offerings: Shiraz and Chardonnay. Both varietal offerings are produced from 100% McLaren Vale fruit, much of it from old vines that are dry-farmed. Taste and see why critics continuously rate Rockbare wines in the top echelon!