Robert Oatley Helmsman Chardonnay

Description

Robert Oatley Helmsman Chardonnay is part of the Helmsman range of wines, designed to be fresh, vibrant and perfect for everyday drinking.

Robert Oatley Vineyards, which founded by wine industry legend Bob Oatley in 2006, has vineyards in Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Sadly Bob Oatley died in January 2016 but his son Sandy has taken the helm and the company remains in safe hands. He is ably assisted by Chris Hancock, the Deputy Executive Chairman who has been working for Robert Oatley for 40 years (he also makes some good wines under the Hancock & Hancock label including an excellent Cabernet / Touriga Nacionaland a Fiano).

Director of Winemaking is Larry Cherubino who joined the company in 2012 and is widely recognised as one of the most talented winemakers in Australia. Under his guidance Robert Oatley Vineyards has identified some of the best vineyards in their respective regions that show a true sense of the land. The grapes for Oatley’s wines come from various key vineyard regions across Australia from both vineyards that the family own and from select growers with whom they work in long term partnerships. They also own three wineries in Mudgee, McLaren Vale and Margaret River (where Larry Cherubino is based).

Robert Oatley Helmsman Chardonnay is made from various parcels from the Central Ranges  Australia, personally selected by Larry Cherubino for their fruit characters and quality of grapes. Central Ranges is an important and recently designated wine-growing zone containing some of the higher, cooler vineyard sites in the state. It is sometimes better known for the regions it comprises: running north to south along the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range (and in descending order of size): Mudgee, Orange and Cowra. The wine undergoes a traditional white wine fermentation partially in tanks and oak barrels, which enables the oak to play a supporting role without overpowering the delicate fruit character

Helmsman celebrates Bob Oatley’s helmsmanship of his racing yacht, Wild Oats XI, which won the difficult 628 nautical mile Sydney to Hobart yacht race eight times.