McWilliam's 842 Chardonnay 2018
2018
£18.50
Out of stock
Aromatic, elegant cool-climate Australian Chardonnay, washed with citrus and melon, the rich flavours of peach and fig kept in check by a rock-hard note of flint.
WINE PRODUCER
In 1877, Samuel McWilliam, an Irish immigrant, planted vines on the banks of the Murray River in New South Wales. The property was called ‘Sunnyside’ and was neighboured next door to the Lindemans, who later became synonymous with Australian wine. Samuel learnt as much as he could from them, and he began making fortified wine from his vineyard. Years later, when the fortified industry was threatened by phylloxera, Samuel’s sons, James and Thomas, established new vineyards in Wagga to the north, while his three daughters, Eliza, Rose May and Mary, returned to Sunnyside and continued making wine, becoming some of Australia’s first female winemakers. Since that time, McWilliams have experience continued growth, and in 1990 they enacted the ‘Maurice O’Shea’ award, in honour of Australia’s greatest table wines. The winemaking team is headed by Jim Chatto, who had completed 20 vintages in the Hunter Valley before joining McWilliams in 2013. Jim’s philosophy is to make wines ‘of longevity, purity and freshness, true to their region and true to their site.’
McWilliam’s sources its fruit from four regions within New South Wales, with varying climates, from cool to hot and tropical, creating an immense variant of wines. The ‘On the Grapevine’ label offers a range of low-priced, easy-drinking wines. The ‘Tumbarumba Chardonnay’ is great value and one of their most popular drops, with flavours of white peach and nectarine. One of their most premium wines include the ‘1877 Hilltops Shiraz’ which derives fruit-driven aromas and an intense palate of red fruits, with a lingering aftertaste.
For more information on McWilliam’s and their wines, visit their website.
New South Wales is an Australian wine powerhouse, accounting for almost a third of Australia’s output. The state has 16 wine regions, resulting in a huge amount of diversity in the terroir and climate and allowing for a range of varieties to be grown, each with their own distinctive trademark flavours. Although NSW is Australia’s second largest wine producing state, it’s also the most populated state, resulting in more wine being consumed than produced.
If you’re seeking a stunning white wine, that search may just end here. With over half of the wine produced in NSW being white grape varieties, it would be hard not to find something palate pleasing. The most famed variety is Sémillon, with a particular focus on produce from the Hunter Valley – the country’s oldest continuous wine region and home to over 150 premium wine producers. An honourable mention goes out to the Rieslings and Chardonnays that flow from the state’s regions.
Speaking of Chardonnay, not only was NSW the state where the first Australian Chardonnay was planted, it’s also the country’s oldest wine region. The grapes were brought over on the first fleet to arrive in the country and planted in Sydney Cove in 1788. Since then, the number of wineries has exploded to over 485, boasting over 330 cellar doors and over 40,000 hectares under vine.