P. Underwood 2023 Chardonnay - "Recommended for Lovers of Puligny"

letuffeau.com (Link) Le Tuffeau is Open for 2026 … please join us, responsibly, for a glass or bottle of wine (more below) — Patrick Underwood, Negociant Harcourt “When Bridget Mac (Werkstatt) suggested we take a train up to Harcourt to visit Patrick Underwood last Autumn, I was skeptical. I had met Pat a few times and found him an agreeable gentleman ... but to travel 2 hours taste the wines of "Little Reddie" left me less than enthused. These are serious and very appreciable wines, eminently drinkable, but not destination wines for me. At her insistence, I acquiesced. A chilly day out in the shadow of Leanganook/Mount Alexander appealed. The day tasting in Pat's excellent facilities was wonderful. His attention to detail, manifestly evident in the Little Reddie wines, is on full display throughout his personal label. Fine tuning temperature control for white malolactic ferment, beautiful custom-made concrete fermenters for Nebbiolo, a range of sizes and cooperages for barrels; and a deep cellar of his reference wines for benchmarking. I mention this last point as it is salient when examining his Chardonnay. I first sampled this wine, as below, from settling tank and was immediately struck by its white fruited character, succulence, and "multifaceted acid profile". This last characteristic is hard to explain but the main analogue I can think of are the Raveneau wines. The trip was pretty frosty (the warm hearts at the winery: certainly not!) and I left my old raincoat there following a charming lunch of radicchio risotto. Pat returned the coat as well as some samples of his bottled wines. The rest, shall we say, is history. Warmly recommended to Chablis (especially Raveneau) mavens, Puligny-lovers, and afficianados of fine and cooling Chardonnay from anywhere.” — David — ~ please note : discounts are automatically applied at the digital check-out! ~ — Patrick Underwood 2023 Leanganook Chardonnay ‘Dash Farms’ (Shelf Price: $59.00) Offer: $54.00 6-pack: $300.00 ($50/bottle) “Aromas of fine new and still integrating oak unfurl alongside citrus blossom, makrut lime leaves, and bright white and green, yet never malic, orchard fruit; there is a suggestion of creme patisserie with baked pear. An overarching sense of olfactory energy is present, an interplay between the fresh, green and bright fruit, and the richer wine-making elements; this wine practically sparkles. Aeration brings vanillin wafers, Conference pear, a faint note of crushed shells and estuarine, oystery touches ... despite Leanganook being at least 150kms from the sea. Lingering in the background is a slightly and pleasingly bitter note of same pear skin, crushed citrus leaf and spring herbs, and Meyer lemon pith. The more this wine takes the air, the tighter and fresher it appears: the citrus leaf notes gaining edge, the blossom characteristics as if only just unfurling, the piths all the more bitter. The palate is brilliantly fresh, almost bracingly so, with a long line of acidity that seems to take on amplitude; this wine possesses a multifaceted acid profile. It is as if a line takes on the form of a wave, spreading to saturate the palate with its attack; chiselled phenolics and broken shell minerality follow. Curry leaf, tangy mandarin and lime, youthful pear, and vanillin wafers with pistachio nougat. The finish is long and mineral, pulled together by the coalescing of the above mentioned wave. Mouth watering notes of crushed shell and small stones, herbs (including bay and thyme), lime leaf, and complex non-oak spices repeat. The shape, presence, and precision here is utterly singular in Australian Chardonnay. Very fine.” — David Order here (Link) — (Link) The new Le Tuffeau 2026 … As mentioned above Le Tuffeau is open for 2026. We are still an eccentric fine wine shop on the second floor of the Nicholas Building. What is different: we have a new Liquor Licence permitting on premises consumption. Snacks: coming soon. Please join us for a drink soon. Reservations preferred. Bookings and after-6.00pm access: (03) 9419 3867 Tue. 11.00 am–6.00 pm Wed.–Sat. 11.00 am–11.00 pm … Available by the glass this week Max Ferd. Richter 2021 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett Domaine Servin 2023 Chablis 1er Cru 'Butteaux' Chateau Simone 2023 Palette Rose Domaine Remoriquet 2022 Nuits-Saint-Georges 'Les Allots' Wantirna Estate 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 'Amelia' — If you would like any of the above, would like to come by for a private appointment, or just have some questions — please let us know.