2022 Brokenwood Forest Edge Chardonnay, Orange

The 2022 Forest Edge Chardonnay pours an attractive and pale green flecked yellow colour, and opens with lifted grapefruit and ripe white nectarine aromas and complimentary notes from oak barrels. The palate, while complex, has a lightness and good balance of cashew sprinkled citrus fruit.

The wine has structure, but the fruit floats in the mouth rather than coats the tongue. Pair with flavours like crisp-skinned chicken ballotine with freekeh, pine nuts and labneh.

About this wine

Rob Crawford established the Forest Edge vineyard in 1988 and the 2022 vintage marks the 21st year of is Brokenwood handling fruit from this premium site in Orange, NSW.

The season started after a cold and very wet winter. Below average temperatures and above average rainfall were the hallmarks of the growing season, and contributed to the latest harvest in many years, with the grapes for this Chardonnay not being picked until 14th of April 14th.

Fruit was whole bunch pressed and fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak barrels of which 38% were new. 

About this producer

Hunter Valley based Brokenwood was established in 1970 by Tony Albert, John Beeston, and James Halliday, with first vines planted in Pokolbin the year after. Since the early 1980s fruit sourcing has expanded beyond the Hunter, and today, the well-regarded wines are made from grapes grown in Orange, Central Ranges, Gundagai, Canberra District and Tumbarumba (NSW) as well as Beechworth (VIC), Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale (SA), and finally Margaret River (WA).

The winemaking team is lead by Stuart Hordern and Kate Sturgess, while work in the 64-hectare vineyards is guided by Katrina Barry.