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$36
Penfolds makes this Max’s Chardonnay from South Australian fruit, named for Max Schubert. Barrel-aged and full-bodied at 14%, it is a ripe, oak-framed white with white peach, melon and a toasted, creamy texture over a citrus core.
In stock
Description
Penfolds, founded near Adelaide in 1844, is one of Australia's best-known wineries, and the Max's range takes its name from Max Schubert, the winemaker who shaped the house style. This Chardonnay draws on fruit from across South Australia, a warm region that ripens the grape fully and gives the wine its 14% alcohol and generous body. The warm climate is the defining terroir factor here, pushing the fruit towards riper stone and orchard flavours than cooler European sites produce. The wine is barrel-aged, and the interplay of oak and ripe fruit, together with malolactic conversion and lees work, builds the creamy, toasted complexity typical of bold New World Chardonnay. Vanilla and wood spice come from the barrel, while the softer, buttery texture reflects the shift of sharp malic acid to rounder lactic acid. The colour is bright gold. The nose shows white peach and melon with vanilla, toast and a hazelnut note, and the palate is full and rounded, the ripe fruit and caramel-edged oak balanced by a lemon-fresh line on the finish. Serve at 11 to 13 degrees in a large white glass.
Additional information
Serve with roast chicken and sweet roasted vegetables, or with grilled pork, where the wine's weight and ripeness carry the dish. The oak and creamy texture also suit meaty fish such as salmon and swordfish, and nutty hard cheeses like mature Cheddar or Gruyère.
