Goodman Chardonnay 2015

It might be fair to say that Kate Goodman is a bit of a minimal interventionalist. That’s in her winemaking practices by the way, not in the way she handles international diplomacy. We don’t know what Kate’s position is when it comes to Foreign Policy, but if the quality of her wine is anything to go by, we have no doubt she’d have done a far better job than Neville Chamberlin. 80 years on and that image of him with that sad bit of paper still induces so much pity. We digress...

The winemaking philosophy of Goodman Wines is simple - let the vineyards do the talking. Winemaking is to play a supportive role and add as little as possible. The end goal is to produce wines with varietal integrity and drinker enjoyment. Goodman Chardonnay displays notes of white peach, hazelnuts, grapefruit and spice. The restrained palate is supported by subtle cedar, cashew and vanilla tones from the French oak, textured with a long mineral finish.

Kate Goodman is regarded as one of Australia’s most ethical contemporary winemakers. Her destiny was sealed when growing up amongst the lush rural countryside of the south coast of New South Wales. She developed respect for the land, the soils, the environment. Kate first studied Biomedical Science and whilst fascinated by the ever-evolving future in this profession, realised a white-coated scientist working inside a laboratory was not for her. However, her gained knowledge in microbiology opened her eyes to how it could be applied to a wide range of far-reaching opportunities.

The first such opportunity presented when Kate accepted an offer to work on a vintage at McLaren Vale winery Wirra Wirra. In Kate’s words: “I loved it!”. She worked alongside two young winemakers also destined for fame, Steve Pannell (S.C. Pannell) and Ben Riggs (Mr Riggs). She knew immediately this was to be her future and discovered microbiology was an integral factor in the science and ‘magic’ of winemaking. Whilst continuing to work at Wirra Wirra and later Tim Knappstein Wines in the Clare Valley, Kate studied winemaking and graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Science from Charles Sturt University. Now a qualified winemaker, Kate arrived at historic Seppelt Wines in Victoria’s Grampian region as a member of their team. It was here, over the next seven years, she honed her skills as part of a passionate innovative group of winemakers.

In 2001, Kate accepted an invitation to run a new family-owned vineyard and winery in the Yarra Valley. She took up the reins at Punt Road Wines as their chief winemaker, with a focus on small-batch cool climate wines. A role that continued until 2014. In 2003 Kate Goodman became a member of the alumni of the Len Evans Tutorial Scholars; each year wine professionals vie for one of only 12 places allocated to attend this coveted wine school. To this day she is also an active and respected Senior Wine Show Judge and consultant in Australia.

In 2012, needing a further challenge and with the blessing of her employer, she started her own wine company and crafted her first wines under the label Goodman Wines. Based in the heart of the pristine Yarra Valley and focusing on premium single vineyard parcels. Her extraordinary vintages quickly attracted fans wanting to purchase her award-winning wines.