Toolangi Vineyards

The philosophy of Toolangi Vineyards is to grow premium fruit and put it into the hands of the best winemaker for the particular varietal, including Rick Kinzbrunner, Franco d’Anna, David Bicknell and Willy Lunn at Yering Station.

The wines are made from estate-grown fruit, supplemented from others from Yarra Valley, which is also managed by the same viticulturist to ensure consistent quality. Located in Yarra Valley, the estate was named due to its position adjacent to the Toolangi State Forest.

The former cattle grazing property was purchased in 1995 and planted the first 0.5 hectare the same year. Now there are 13 hectares under vine, growing with grapes best suited to the site, with predominantly clay, covered by a thin layer of topsoil of shale and stone.

The focus is more on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with some Shiraz and a small amount of Viognier. The yield is restricted to no more than 2.5 tonne per acre to maximize quality, with heavy pruning and green harvesting done. The normally good rainfall is supplemented by drip irrigation during the growing season.

Three main varietals of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz, and there are three ranges within each: Toolangi, Toolangi Estate and Toolangi Reserve. The weather conditions would determine whether the Reserve wines are produced in each vintage.

I have recently tasted the 2010 Chardonnay and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has medium lemon color, with wide watery rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium (-) intensity of citrus fruit of lemon, tropical fruit of melon, green fruit of pear, stone fruit of peach, oak notes of toast and vanilla, MLF notes of butter. The wine is youthful. 

Palate

Dry with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium alcohol and medium (+) body, demonstrating medium (+) intensity of flavors including citrus fruit of lemon, green fruit of pear, floral notes of hawthorn, oak notes of toast, MLF notes of butter. The wine has a medium finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Australian Chardonnay with the oak characters apparent but not overpowering, the nose is not intense but did show a good complex range of aromas, and on palate it has demonstrated nice acidity, with good finesse and concentration, similar flavor characters and a decent length on the finish. Ready to drink now, this wine is not intended for further ageing.