Low Yields, Cool Climate, Great Winemaker
90pts Tanzer, Makes For Great Chardonnay
Under Twenty And SAVE 33%

The cooler climate of Victoria’s King Valley region in Australia is ideal for great Chardonnay, this single vineyard wine with low yields, half the yields of all surrounding vineyards is a wine with great persistence, superb fruit concentration and richness you seldom see in a Chardonnay under twenty dollars a bottle. The Nugan family have proven over decades, selling grapes to some of the finest Wineries in Australia, including Penfolds that they know what they are doing in the vineyards. With the hire of brilliant Aussie winemaker, Daren Owers, they have a winemaker to match and the results can be seen in this wine big time. You will be hard-pressed to find a better Chardonnay than the 2010 Nugan Chardonnay ‘Frasca’s Lane Vineyard’ under twenty. If you love great Chardonnay from California or anywhere in the new world, you will absolutely love this wine.

Nugan Chardonnay ‘Frasca’s Lane Vineyard’ 2010 (King Valley; Victoria; Australia)

Regular $29.99 Our Bttl $21.99 Bttl Cs $19.99 SAVE 33%

90pts Tanzer

The beginnings of the Nugan Estate winery took shape more than 65 years ago in Valencia, Spain, when a young Alfredo Nugan entered the fruit export market in the late 1940’s. Then, drawing on his experiences from Spain, he used both innovative and strict quality controls to become a pre-eminent supplier of superior produce – first to Australia, then on to the world. And when he finally opted to establish fruit farms in the land down under, he chose a region in southwest, New South Wales, mainly because of its abundant sunshine and water supply. However, the true success story of Nugan Estate arrived when he and the family dedicated itself to growing and selling wine grapes rather than citrus fruits . Forward to today, they’re the largest (and best) supplier of grapes to Australian wineries, including the country’s most prominent one, Penfolds.

However, not all of their estate-grown grapes are sold off to market. In fact, Nugan Estate produces premium wines with their label for both the domestic and export markets wines. Cardinally, their high-tier 2010 Chardonnay, sourced from their Frasca's Lane Vineyard in Victoria's cooler King Valley region, is a testament of the techniques Alfredo brought to Australia from Spain. Each vine is watered only as needed determined through a series of underground moisture meters. In addition, underground drainage pipes direct the runoff from heavy, summer downpours away from the vines, preventing the often harmful effects associated with excessive rain water. Thus by maintaining the water flow, the vineyards are maintained with a focus on the environment, too. Naturally, the yields from this particular vineyard are at a level that is 50% less than those of neighboring vineyards.

As a matter of course, all of this remarkable Chardonnay fruit has been placed into the hands of a very competent wine maker, Daren Owers. Recognized nationally and internationally as one of Australia’s most experienced winemakers, he has consulted for several wine companies in the Hunter Valley, McLaren Vale, and for those overseas as well. Daren's challenge was the creation of Nugan’s unique style, keeping it uniform, and abiding by the Nugan philosophy of “hard work, innovation, and 100% commitment to the future”. His passion for quality wine and zest for challenging ways of doing things complements the innovative and constantly evolving nature of Nugan Estate. So, a history of quality and innovation combined with a champion winemaker, it’s no surprise of their high success in tasting competitions and in wine reviews. They were awarded over a hundred medals in their first year of private production, with top honors for this Chardonnay. Their early successes confirms Nugan Estate is a pioneer, innovator, and your best bet for a premium, quality-driven Chardonnay wine from Australia!

Tasting review: "Light yellow-gold. Intense aromas of pear, nectarine, honey and orange zest, with smoky oak notes and mounting spiciness. Rich and fleshy but there's surprising energy to the orchard fruit and candied citrus flavors. Closes on a gently sweet note, with clinging citrus notes and excellent persistence."— 90 pts. Stephen Tanzer / International Wine Cellar (Jul-Aug 2012)

James Halliday and Huon Hooke, Australia’s most respected wine-writers, have praised Nugan Estate’s rise stating:

Halliday : “Nugan Estate has arrived on the scene like a whirlwind...”; Hooke : “… the Nugans stand out for their dedication and the great value their wines represent.”

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