We all know that Grant Edmonds can make a top Chardonnay. His days as chief winemaker at Villa Maria in
the early 1990s saw him develop finesse in the top Chardonnays through whole
bunch pressing; quite revolutionary at the time. His current tenure at Sileni Estates has seen
greater refinement and increased ageworthiness by way of cleaner juice, gentler
handling and the incorporation of screwcap methodology. As a result, his premium Chardonnay, ‘The
Lodge’, has greater elegance with ever-so more subtle complexities. The continuing accumulation of gold medals
and trophies for this wine is justification of his working path with this grape
variety.
There is another side to what Grant does with Chardonnay. It can be seen in his own Redmetal label. Created to match his value-for-money
Merlot/Franc label, the Redmetal Chardonnay is made for early drinking, but
also to deliver great drinking in any situation possible. It’s based on clean, ripe, fresh fruit. Grapefruit and yellow stonefruit flavours
abound. There is wonderful acid balance
to enable excellent food matching.
Seafood, chicken and ham work very well.
The oak handling is pulled right back, the lees contact is minimal and
there’s only a touch of malo, but their contribution is in now way negligible. It features pure fruit, and is delightful for
it. The new release 2009 is the third
Redmetal Chardonnay, and it is the best yet.
13.0% alc means it is no weakling, and it is marked by its aromatic
beauty. At $14.95 a bottle, you can buy
it by the case and enjoy it regularly.