Hope Family Austin Chardonnay NV

Written By Campbell Mattinson
Bottle of Hope Family Austin Chardonnay.

Hope Family Wines Austin Chardonnay NV
13.5% alcohol, cork, Paso Robles/California.

This is unusual for two reasons: it’s a NV release, so presumably it’s a blend of multiple vintages, And the alcohol sits at 13.5%, which is low for these parts. Low in a good way, it should be noted. This sells for US $20.

Hope Family wines are SIP certified.

There’s character here. It tastes of brine, smoke, tropical fruit, preserved citrus and florals. The blend here also includes a dash of viognier, I believe, and it works nicely, both in adding a bit of slipperiness to the texture and also in those elevated floral notes. This wine is fresh, crisp and textural. It’s good. It’s value plus. 92 points.

Campbell Mattinson

This article was written by Campbell Mattinson, former chief editor of the Halliday Wine Companion book, former editor of Halliday magazine, former editor of Australian Sommelier Magazine and founder of the highly respected The Winefront site.

Mattinson has been a respected wine critic and photo-journalist since 1987. He’s the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He’s a past winner of a Louis Roederer International Wine Media Award; is the author of the award-winning book The Wine Hunter; and is the author of the best-selling novel We Were Not Men. He’s also a winner of a St Kilda Film Festival Award (as writer-director) and is a former winner of the prized Best Australian Sports Writing Award.

Mattinson puts a score out of 100 on every wine that he reviews. But what he’d rather do, is tell you the wine’s story.

https://www.campbellmattinson.com
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