Hunter’s Dream Chardonnay 2017

The Hunter’s Dream Chardonnay 2017 is well-balanced and has everything you’d want from a Chardonnay. It has enough oak characteristics to satisfy the buttery Chardonnay lovers in your life but is balanced by nice fruit flavours. Perfect for winter sipping, you’ll find it is all too easy to polish off a bottle of this one! 

Over the weekend we had a picnic with friends. It was so warm in Brisbane you wouldn’t have known it was winter – except for the fact that you could sit outside in pleasant heat! It was so nice to sit out in the sunshine and enjoy a few wines with friends. And we had the perfect one to sip on as the sun started to go down: the Hunter’s Dream Chardonnay 2017.

Picnics are usually perfect with a Rosé or crisp white wine, but in winter a Chardonnay is a perfect option for those days when you feel like a white but want something with a bit more oomph to it. Perfect for day drinking when the weather is just that little bit cooler, and this Chardonnay certainly ticked all these boxes!

The Hunter’s Dream Chardonnay 2017 is delicious drinking

Hunter’s Dream is located in the Hunter Valley in New South Wales and is set on one of the original Hunter Valley estates established over half a century ago. Their focus is on enhancing the natural order of things through everything they do, whilst ensuring the historical integrity of their mature vines.

The Hunter’s Dream Chardonnay 2017 is from their Estate range which offers a great range of wines across Sparkling, Red and White. There is something for everyone, but my partner was very keen to try their Chardonnay. He is obsessed with buttery Chardonnay, whilst I like something with a bit of butter and richness that is balanced. It can be hard to know what you’re going to find when you open a Chardonnay (unless it is very oaked) and so I was excited to find that this wine was right up my alley, but also ticked the boxes for my Chardonnay loving partner.

Why I loved it

The Hunter’s Dream Chardonnay 2017 is a beautifully balanced Chardonnay that I think will please most palates. Even if you normally aren’t a fan of buttery Chardonnay, the balance in this wine made it truly pleasant drinking. It had a beautiful golden colour in the glass which reminded me of sunshine and a nice pronounced aroma. I loved the complexity of flavours in this wine – there was a hint of stone fruits like peach and apricot from the fruit followed by vanilla and the classic Chardonnay butter.

The taste of this wine was great. Although it was rich and buttery, this didn’t overwhelm the rest of the flavours in the wine. It had enough crisp acidity to make the wine quite refreshing, but still soft and supple. This full-bodied wine had a nice long finish that left you wanting another sip, and between our friends, it certainly didn’t last for long!

This wine is perfect for those looking for a winter white. It has enough body to it for enjoying in cooler temperatures, but the buttery and oaky characteristics of the wine don’t overpower the fresh fruit flavours. Perfect for sipping in the sun, this wine I think is a real crowd-pleaser.

What to enjoy it with

The Hunter’s Dream Chardonnay 2017 could be enjoyed with or without food, but I recommend enjoying it with something. We had it with a cheese platter which was the perfect accompaniment. Think delicious gooey brie – it went perfectly with this wine.

The great thing about Chardonnay is that it is a perfect food wine, and this wine would go so well with a meal. My recommendation would be roast chicken, pork or fish. Anything with a bit of richness to it will be the perfect pair to this full and delicious wine.

The final word on the Hunter’s Dream Chardonnay 2017

The Hunter’s Dream Chardonnay 2017 is a great crowd-pleaser. Love oaked Chardonnay? You’ll like this wine. Don’t like oaked Chardonnay? The oak is quite balanced and so it doesn’t overwhelm the palate. This wine is perfect for winter sipping in the sun or pairing with a nice meal. It’s great to try something with a bit of age on it too as the flavours have really developed nicely. The only problem with this wine is that I only had one bottle to enjoy!

Find this wine and the Hunter’s Dream range here.

Note: this wine was sent to me as a sample, I was under no obligation to post about it