It's brighter than Nicole Kidman's teeth - so acidic that it almost feels carbonated when it first touches your mouth. It's that "fun-on-the-tongue" acidity that will likely mellow out with a year+ of bottle aging.

But, if you pour a glass of this chard and let it sit for an hour, you realize that it isn't just a bright, thin wine. What starts to come out (as the wine approaches room temperature) is a creamy texture that's lurking underneath all that acidity. Even a little oak comes through on the finish.

So, for $10 you get a wine that tastes great now, and could very well be even better in a year. I'll even bet my favorite Russell Crowe trading cards that it pairs better with food than a lot of those super-oak, butter bombs we all love. See? I told you Australians were generous!

Pick up a bottle or two of this chardonnay, and support quality Aussie exports. Yes, Australians have given the world many wonderful treasures, but in the past they've also thrown at us kangaroo boxing, Paul Hogan and Yahoo Serious. Please let them know they're on the right track with this affordable wine thing! You never know what they could pawn off on their trading partners next!

Cheers,
TSW

EDITOR'S NOTE: The fact that WoW can comfortably release this review, especially with that ending, shows the great sense of humor all Australians have. To dig up Yahoo Serious was just mean, but the Aussies will just smile it off. We'd never get away with writing something like that in a review of a German Riesling.

People who know me know how much I hate stereotypes. Despise them. Not just some stereotypes, mind you, but all generalizations. Awful things, they are. However, if you had to use a stereotype (forced at gunpoint, for example), a pretty safe one would be: Australians are very giving people. Although some Aboriginals may disagree with you, at least it's a nice generalization.

The latest thing these giving mates have sent our way is another affordable and tasty chardonnay from Penfolds. In fact, Penfolds has a bunch of new wine coming out under a few new sub-labels. While some of them prove that there is such a thing as being too generous (I would argue that they didn't need to share most of the Penfolds Rawson's Retreat line with us), the Thomas Hyland label chardonnay is a welcomed gift!

Lovers of California chard be warned: This is not an oaky, buttery white. Like every single Australian chardonnay ever made, this 2001 is crisp and fruity.

The nose is like a basket of nectarines, citrus and melon fruit. There's really no oak to be found, but the different fruits work very well together.

On the palate, this wine really shows its age (or lack of it).