By Fergal Gleeson
Aravina Estate is a significant tourist destination in Yallingup, Margaret River. Apart from the cellar door there is a restaurant, sports car gallery, a kitchen garden and the West Australian Surf Gallery.
Ryan Aggiss, Winemaker at Aravina Estate emphasises the importance of site “As a grape grower and winemaker, the style of Chardonnay that I make is dictated by the site and the type of grape.”
“We have the Gingin planted on south facing slopes at high altitude that is not exposed to the hot northern sun. It’s a restrained site that I try to reflect in the wines. I pick on the cusp of ripeness when the fruit is a little leaner and greener and rather than later where you get the yellow melon type flavours. We are fortunate that our site produces a vibrant Chardonnay with bright acid flavours.”
All the fruit for the 2015 Aravina Estate Wildwood Ridge Reserve Chardonnay (RRP$55/96 Halliday points) is made from this single vineyard.
I asked Ryan for a recommendation of a good food match for the Aravina Reserve Chardonnay.
“If it’s rainy and cold I’d be thinking about our Chardonnay with chargrilled, open flame cooked chicken with duck fat potatoes and salt. There is a robustness and a persistence to the wine that will go well with it.”
“Our Chef at Aravina has got a kick arse Yellow Duck Curry which is a perfect bedfellow for it. The curry has those exotic aromas and flavours that work really well together.”
“It’s an exciting time for Chardonnay in the region. All the winemakers are tweaking what they are doing to continue to improve whether it’s trialling new barrels or one extra battonage. This healthy competition is being reflected in wine show success.”
This is a modified excerpt from an article that appeared in the spring edition of Your Margaret River Region Magazine
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