For Aussie wine lovers, Hardy's is a name that needs no introduction - established in 1853 by the English immigrant Thomas Hardy, the wine producer is one of the oldest in South Australia, and is known for helping define the Aussie wine style from its McLaren Vale home, where it produces a range of wines at various price points with many international and Aussie classics.

But before we delve into the wines, let's get to know Thomas Hardy alittle better.

Winemaking in McLaren Vale with an Australian pioneer.

A Brief Introduction Of Thomas Hardy, Australian Winemaking Pioneer

Thomas Hardy was born in 1830 and had set sale for Australia in 1850. Upon arriving he first took up working as a cattle farmer for a fellow settler named John Reynell. Reynell was in fact South Australia's first wine producer and his wines would convince Hardy to also try his hand at winemaking. After years of saving up from helping to ferry supplies to Australia's gold mines, Hardy would finally get the opportunity to purchase a farm. He would name the farm Bankside and produce his first vintage of wines in 1857. His commitment to quality was notable and the Hardy's name would flourish in a time when the wines being made in the region were questionable at best. Hardy's conviction in winemaking would lead him to campaign strongly for the need for quality control and he would prove his mettle by being a pioneer in helping to establish the Australia wine scene.

Hardy's Tintara House in McLaren Vale.

As the decades went on, Hardy's sons would join the business, and Hardy too would come to acquire several notable vineyards, the first being Tintara (of which a single vineyard expression from there is part of Hardy's range of wines), which had belonged to a prominent viticulture expert and was of high quality and yet had gone bust due to the lack of necessary capital, and the second being Chateau Reynella, which had belonged to John Reynell and was the place where Thomas Hardy had first found work when he had arrived in Australia.

Today Hardy's is managed by the fifth-generation Bill Hardy, and is part of the Accolade wine group.

Fifth-generation Bill Hardy.

And with that brief introduction done, let's talk about the wines we're trying today - the Hardy's Heritage Reserve Bin (HRB) range which focuses on blending fruit from across various key wine regions to create a cuvee that is wholly representative of South Australia. The HRB range is organised by single varietals, so they've got international varieties such as HRB Pinot Noir, HRB Cabernet Sauvignon, HRB Chardonnay and HRB Riesling, and then of course a classic Aussie HRB Shiraz. Today we'll be reviewing the HRB Chardonnay, HRB Pinot Noir and HRB Cabernet Sauvignon - and head's up we're about to find some incredible value picks here that punch so high above their price tag, it's pretty wild.

Let's go!

Wine Review: Hardy's HRB Chardonnay 2022

This comes from approximately 51% Pemberton, 26% Margaret River and 22% Yarra Valley.

Tasting Notes 

Colour: Straw

Aroma: It opens rich and almost buttery. It has a freshness of hay, elderflowers and pears, rather rustic and akin to walking through a fruit orchard. Also a light muskiness of fleshy tropical white fruits of mangosteens.

Taste: Really good richness, delivering on that buttery, creamy texture. It's sweeter and rich, filled in with pears and green apples, fresh and in the form of compotes and jams. The acidity here is light and subtle, with just a gentle tartness.

Finish: More on gooseberries and green pears, alittle bit more of that acidity coming through, along with a light savouriness and some subtle muskiness that lingers.

My Thoughts 

This was a much riper and fuller bodied take on the classic Chardonnay - here it's much more buttery and rich, keeping of course all those lovely fresh and rustic qualities as well, with just a little bit of muskiness and acidity. For the most part this leans sweeter and more jammy as is the style of most Aussie wines, which makes this a very solid pick for an Aussie Chardonnay! If you're into fuller bodied, riper wines - as I am - then this is a good pick for a white wine for you. It's not overly sweet nevertheless, but decisively richer and with such a great texture that coats the palate ever so lusciously.

Wine Review: Hardy's HRB Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

This one comes from approximately 50% Margaret River, 30% Coonawarra and 20% Frankland River.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Dark Ruby

Aroma: Really great concentration, richness and depth here, all these big dark fruit jam, so decadently chocolate-y, garnished with some roses and freshly toiled soil. This is just powerful and bold, incredibly aromatic, big and lush.

Taste: It's just as big and jammy on the palate, incredibly ripe and fuller bodied, with lots of blackcurrant, blackberry and blueberry jams. There's also a serious serving of chocolate sauce drizzled all in there. Just really thick and plush, and yet at the same time it's not flopping about - it keeps a muscular structure with rounded outlines about it that holds it in place really cohesively.

Finish: Some freshness of light acidity here, alittle sprinkle of pepper as well. Really nice freshness that just carries through to the finish. Of course some of those dark berries persist, fresher and less jammy. It evokes a deep warmth, with a nice tingle of spiciness. A more present tannin structure here that reinforces the richness here.

My Thoughts

This is a big one! It's big, bold and a heavy hitter! I love it! As is the Aussie style, you're going to find this riper and much more jammy, which might sound simple enough, but where this impresses is that even with that fullness and roundedness, it's not flabby or floppy, it's incredibly rich but is reinforced and held in by this muscular and sensuous structure that is what makes it so enjoyable. It comes in really decadent, with all these dark berry jams and chocolates, with still alittle bit of that classic Cab Sauv florals and earthiness, and yet it's not cloying or falling apart on the palate, and neither is it tannic, in fact it comes through with superb freshness that keeps you going back for more ceaselessly. On the finish, there's even this deep warmth that it evokes with this lovely spiced tingle that makes you all fuzzy inside.

Above all, it's so cohesive and persistent, and just simply enjoyable. This is the kind of wine you bring to a gathering and know it's going to deliver.

Wine Review: Hardy's HRB Pinot Noir 2022

This one comes from across Tasmania and the Yarra Valley - quite the span there.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Light Ruby

Aroma: It opens up with some raw earthiness of freshly toiled soil, it's got alittle bit of that Pinot Noir funk of hay and animal hide, filled in with blackcurrant cordials and also some radiant florals of violets and irises. It's clean and expressive even with that earthy richness.

Taste: Really good cohesion and richness here, the body feels supple and fuller. Blackcurrant cordials, blackberries, some light minerality of spring water as well. It's medium-bodied with a really nice saturation to it, along with a nice and strong structure and frame that holds in all of that richness and concentration. It's really taut and intentional, not a strand out of place.

Finish: The minerality carries through here, bringing with it some salinity and savouriness. The blackcurrants and blackberries comes through as well. It's still got that clean detailing and remains rich into the finish. Some lingering red currants stay on.

My Thoughts

A really impressive Pinot Noir! I tend to find Pinot's a little tricky because they often find themselves hollowed out with a lighter than desired body that's less fruit and much more minerality. Here that could not be further from the case.

Even on the nose we find this radiance of raw earth and barnyard, all these blackcurrant cordials and florals that simply fan out from the glass. It's so expressive and rich whilst keeping that Pinot Noir cleanness about it. This all carries through to the palate with such fidelity - there's simply no loss of power here - the body is supple and fuller, with all those concentrated berries coming through as well, supported by the minerality here. It's structure is bold and clean, and everything just holds its place with such intention - it's like watching the synchronicity of a trained ballet troupe. That clean structure and richness carries through to the finish with even some additional red currants that simply persist all the way through.

What a lovely Pinot Noir here! It's concentrated with fruit and so vibrant, yet clean and detailed even with such expressiveness.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot