2021 Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay

Highly Rated
Simply one of the most outstanding Chardonnays in Australia. A benchmark and an icon.
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
6 Reviews

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Sale price$95.00
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Description

The Oakridge 864 Funder & Diamond Drive Block Chardonnay is one of the giants of Australian Chardonnay.

Crafted by one of the country's most gifted makers of the variety, this single-block wine is considered by many as a benchmark wine for the region. The 2021 vintage is characterised by coiled power and intensity. It shows powerful fruit which is beautifully framed by trimmings of fine French oak and some savoury lees character.

Complexity tempered with an easy approachability. It's a wine to behold This is an excellent release of this much-revered icon of the Yarra Valley.

"This might just be the best and possibly the most long-lived Oakridge 864 Chardonnay yet."
- 98 pts, Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

Our 864 range features exceptional wines from specific and single blocks, produced in small quantities and released in only the best years. An Oakridge 864 wine is terroir-driven. Made to demonstrate the importance of time and place with every bottle, and always a tribute to tradition, these wines are ready to drink now or cellar.

All grapes were hand harvested and sorted prior to whole bunch pressing directly to French oak puncheons for natural fermentation, 20% of the barrels being new. Post-fermentation, the wine was matured on its fermentation lees for 10 months in barrel followed by a further 6 months in tank prior to bottling after a single filtration.

A long, cool vintage with abundant rainfall and very low cropping levels has resulted in wine great purity and a high level of natural acidity. Flowering occurred in late October, fruit set in December and harvest on March 15th 12.0° baume.

98 points - "From the Funder and Diamond vineyard, planted in Wandin East with the P58 clone in 1990. Hand picked and whole-bunch pressed to French puncheons (20% new) for fermentation and 10 months' maturation before another six months in tank. A bright, pale green gold. Another truly great, albeit restrained release, with piercing aromas of white nectarines, nashi, pink grapefruit, white flowers and crushed stone. Simultaneously concentrated and elegant, the pure, mineral-inflected and chalky palate is painfully long. Still just a baby, this might just be the best and possibly the most long-lived Oakridge 864 Chardonnay yet. Another feather in the cap for David Bicknell, the Australian chardonnay maestro." - Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)

97 points & Top 100 Australian Wines of 2023 - “Exceptional aromas of hazelnut, walnut husk, pink grapefruit and white peach reverberate across a mid-weighted network of juicy acidity, al dente phenolics and well nestled oak. Amazing intensity and expansion across the palate, with no shortage of chew as much as the inherent freshness that marks the style here. This will age very well. Drinkable now, but best from 2026. Screw cap.” - Ned Goodwin MW (James Suckling)

96 points - "A little struck match and funk that’s neatly folded into the white peach, pear and ripe grapefruit. There’s a whisper of spicy oak, almond and All-Bran. Flinty, tight, but flavoursome too, with a twist of something more exotic, like green papaya. Cool acidity and a long chalk dust finish completes the picture. I love the grip and texture of it, and that while it’s kind of bony, there’s still a load of classic Yarra Chardonnay joy on offer. Terrific." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

96 points - "Fresh, bright and lively in the glass; a youthful wine. Really complex and evocative aromas of grapefruit pith, struck match, melon skin, just-ripe white peach, briar and wet stone. The palate is fine, focused and has a fabulous spine of acidity. The flavours are in the stone fruit and citrus realms and there's a savoury, mealy, nuttiness adding complexity. Textured, layered, mouth-filling and long: a very complete chardonnay" - Aaron Brasher (The Real Review)

96 points - "A little struck match and funk that’s neatly folded into the white peach, pear and ripe grapefruit. There’s a whisper of spicy oak, almond and All-Bran. Flinty, tight, but flavoursome too, with a twist of something more exotic, like green papaya. Cool acidity and a long chalk dust finish completes the picture. I love the grip and texture of it, and that while it’s kind of bony, there’s still a load of classic Yarra Chardonnay joy on offer. Terrific." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 6 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 6 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
6 reviews
  • JL
    jo l.
    Verified Buyer
    16 seconds ago
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Brilliant wine

    Absolutely delicious . As good as any Australian Chardonnay I have tasted.

    Lovely minerality brilliant fruit and perfectly balanced.

  • SR
    Stephen R.
    Verified Buyer
    5 days ago
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Blockbuster

    Gorgeous, full, structured Chardonnay from the Oakridge masters. Beautiful fruit shines through gorgeous oak treatment. Creamy vanilla and cashew sneaks through and make this an exceptional bottling. Excellent!

  • AR
    ADAM R.
    Verified Buyer
    1 month ago
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    World class Chardonnay

    As good as any Chardonnay produced in Australia, or indeed anywhere in the World!

Reviews LoadedReviews Added

Oakridge

Oakridge is one of the Yarra Valley's most respected wineries.

Under the direction of master winemaker Dave Bicknell, it has been a major player in defining the modern styles of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Yarra over the last decade.

From the elite 864 range to the amazing value Over The Shoulder range, there's quality at the core of everything Oakridge puts its hand to. Bicknell has rare touch as a winemaker, carefully eeking out the individual character of each vineyard he works with.

Each wine speaks with absolute clarity of where it comes from. These are excellent, masterfully crafted wines and great value to boot.

Cheif Winemaker Dave Bicknell Oakridge

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