St Huberts Chardonnay 2017

The St Huberts Chardonnay 2017 is perfect for winter sipping, with its balanced fruit and oaked flavours. It is rich and luxuriously textured and perfect with food. Whether you like oaked Chardonnay or not, this is sure to be one you’ll enjoy. 

This week I wanted to share a beautiful Chardonnay we had a few weekends ago. We picked this one up on our trip to the Yarra Valley in December. St Huberts is up there as one of our favourites in the Yarra Valley, and we absolutely loved this Chardonnay when we tried it at the cellar door. So when I was looking for a white to go with a delicious roast chicken meal I’d made for a quiet Friday night in, it was the perfect excuse to open it!

I often don’t feel like white wine in winter, but sometimes you just need a bit of a break from those big reds. Oaked Chardonnay provides the perfect solution for these moments – when you want white but it is a bit too cold for it. The flavours are so warm and toasty that you hardly feel like you’re drinking a glass of white wine! There’s a reason it’s called the white wine for red lovers. Now I know not everyone likes an oaked Chardonnay, but if it is balanced like this one you might just be surprised!

The St Huberts Chardonnay 2017 is perfect for winter

St Huberts was established in 1860 by Hubert de Castella, and by the late 1800s was the largest estate in the area. Although it was reverted to dairy farming in the 1920s, it was reborn in the 1960s. Now St Huberts is wide-reaching and known for its quality wines. You can purchase some of their range in commercial bottle stores, but the St Huberts Chardonnay 2017 is from their more premium range of wines.

This Chardonnay was sourced from premium sites in the Yarra Valley and oaked in a mixture of new and seasoned French oak – so expect all those yummy oaked flavours from this one. Malo-lactic fermentation also helps to add texture and weight to this wine. All of these come together to produce a wine that is going to fit right in with all your winter white needs.

Why I loved it

The St Huberts Chardonnay 2017 is a beautifully balanced wine with all the right flavours. It does have a golden hue but isn’t super yellow like a really oaked Chardonnay. On the nose it is quite fruit-driven- think citrus, nectarine and pear. I got a bit of minerality too which added some complexity. These flavours were enhanced by those extra secondary notes from oak, lees and malo-lactic fermentation. Think roasted nuts, butter and a hint of vanilla.

What I loved so much about this wine was the texture. It fills the mouth and is quite luscious with those fruity flavours and oaked notes. The finish is quite long as well, leaving those flavours in the mouth long after you take a sip. This makes for a really elegant wine that is just plain delicious to drink. Each sip is better than the next!

Even if you don’t like oaked Chardonnay, don’t be turned off by this one. I found it to be really nicely balanced and the oaked flavours, although present, were really nicely integrated. This wine is perfect for lovers of oaked and non-oaked Chardonnay alike!

What to enjoy it with

The St Huberts Chardonnay 2017 is perfect with food. Whether it is some beautiful cheeses before dinner or a meal, this wine is a food lovers dream. We paired it with a roast chicken, which I think was the perfect combination. Those rich roasted flavours really complimented the Chardonnay. It will also go so well with richer dishes like French sauces – a classic Chardonnay pairing. You could also pair it with pasta with a creamy or burnt butter sauce if you are feeling fancy!

The final word on the St Huberts Chardonnay 2017

The St Huberts Chardonnay 2017 is a beautifully balanced Chardonnay that is a perfect winter warming white. If you are looking for something different from your usual cycle of red wines, give this one a go. It is perfect with food, and delicious and luxurious with a beautiful texture. Its oaked flavours are balanced by delicious fruit forwardness in the wine, making it a great option for lovers of oaked and unoaked Chardonnay.