The 2008 Isolation Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay is from the single vineyard. It was 100% barrel fermented, 10-20% new wood, using indigenous yeast with a very small proportion going through malo-lactic and seeing some batonnage. With intense aromas of pineapple pastry, honeydew, apricots, oatmeal and touches of toast and butterscotch, it has medium to high racy acid, a medium body and lovely silky texture. “We planted Riesling when we planted our vineyard in 1988,” Judy Cullam of Frankland Estate explained when we met. “There’s a big Riesling vineyard next to us that Houghton’s had been leasing, so we knew the variety would do well. Our first vintage was the 1991. In the beginning when we would show the wine people would say to us, ‘Oh no, come back with a Chardonnay’.” Fortunately that attitude is changing and many wine cognoscenti now know that the Frankland region is begetting some world class Rieslings. Since 2001 Frankland Estate has moved from producing a regional blend to making three very impressive single vineyard Rieslings: Isolation Ridge, Cooladerra Ridge and Poison Hill.Importer: John Larchet, The Australian Premium Wine Collection; www.tapwc.com