Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay 2003

by Ethan Johnson
October 14, 2006

(Palm-muted guitar intro) Rumor washed ashore/into that Texas wine store/that Penfolds makes other wines besides the Grange (you know what I'm talkin' 'bout). Yes indeed, the venerable winery does indeed produce "accessible" wines, meaning they're not kept under glass and blend right in to your register receipt at the grocery. Let's see what I scooped up when a local grocery went out of business and discounted their sale price (!!) on wine:

Producer (Vineyard): Penfolds
Varietal (Grape type): Chardonnay
Vintage (Year): 2003
Country: Australia
Color: White
Cost: Inexpensive ($10 USD)

Teh booze

Swirl and Sniff: Pale, straw yellow. At first the scent struck me as butane, but as I snorted away it broke through with grapefruit, with hints of American "piss-water" beer. Uh oh.

Taste: Hmmm. Majorly grapefruit-y, which I'm personally not crazy about. Crisp and acidic, with buttery overtones. (Read: oak.) As the glass warmed up over time, the wine smoothed out somewhat and the butter won out over the bitter.

Pairing: I drank this alone, to get a feel for Chardonnay since I normally don't lean that direction. The butter and acidity made me think it would be a natural with buttery, lemon-spritzed seafood. Tomato-y stuff would work too, I'd imagine.

Rating: When it comes to this wine, I would (and you may):

  • Buy three or more bottles for regular enjoyment
  • Buy a bottle or two for occasional enjoyment
  • Ask for when dining out or at a party
  • Settle for if your preferred wine is not available
  • Politely decline and never drink again, ever

Mmm, all things considered, if we're playing the crisp, acidic card, let's drink Riesling. The high alcohol content (13.5% ABV) really threw me for a loop, especially without food handy. Plus the bitter grapefruit taste was a big turn-off, for me. I'll be interested to try some unoaked Chardonnay from someone/somewhere else and see how/if my experience differs.

On the up side, I'm clearing out some room in my wine fridge for the "good stuff". I look forward to breaking my cranky streak of late and green-light some wonderful wines. Stay tuned!

If you do give this a try, please let me know how your experience compared with mine. Thanks! <EM>

(The Totally Unpretentious Wine Reviews Index may be found here.)

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