NEW South Wales-based Robert Oatley Wines has become real value – with some WA help.
After selling Rosemount (founded in 1969 and then merged into Southcorp and then Foster’s) for well over a billion dollars in 2001, Robert Oatley, also the great racing yachtsman of the Wild Oats series of maxi yachts, has now ploughed much of his fortune back into his two new wine brands, Wild Oats and Robert Oatley Wines, in the $20 price range.
The Robert Oatley Signature wine varieties are selected from Australia’s most appropriate region for each – with four of the six being from WA.
Larry Cherubino is now Oatley’s director of winemaking and the best of the wines under the Robert Oatley label show cleverly put together quality fruit .
This is fruity in a quality chardonnay way, soft and appealing.
It has some quality oak complexity but is still smooth and round.
It has modern winemaking hints of lemon and lime among the chardonnay stone fruit characters and an easy finish. There are no corners or edges and this has been made to be delicious while young ... and it is.
According to some of Australia’s leading national wine writers, Larry Cherubino is consistently making Australia’s best sauvignon blanc. And yep, he made this, and this is amongst the best.
High-quality, fine knit, complex and classy fruit that is long, textured and balanced. This is exciting and it has a brilliant finish and after taste.