Payten & Jones Yarra Valley Chardonnay

"Being allegedly the only two (literate) students to Graduate Healesville High School in 97, we were always destined to work together. Behn (the Payten) drove his first Tractor at the age of 5. Troy (the Jones) was talking by the age of 1 and hasnt shut up since.

Naturally we fell in with the wrong crowd out here, and became Vignerons/Winemakers. Behns dad Pete knows a thing or two about vineyards. In his years of working in the industry, he managed Australias first certified organic vineyard and always focused heavily on sustainability, so we knew we were in good hands. The three of us continue to spend regular nights on the red, solving the worlds problems.

Since going into wine together, weve fallen into a lifestyle of lazy Sundays, drinking wine, shooting rabbits, family and mates*.Were doing our utmost to pass this lifestyle on to our children**.
*In the interests of clarity, we would like to note that drinking wine is not limited to lazy sundays, and they only shoot rabbits, not family and mates.
** In the interests of not looking like terrible parents, we would also like to note that the lifestyle we want to pass on is being able to make a life out of wine, and living and working in our beloved Yarra Valley. The rest is a bonus.

Payten & Jones wines are a little different "“ they are a little murky in the glass and can sometimes throw a bit of sediment.
Our wines always look better with a bit of air, served in a glass (although a jug can also work), at the right temperature, with amazing food and great company.

The wines are not "˜perfect by industry standards, but they have the perfect personality for the situations theyre made for.
We reckon drinking these wines is like experiencing a band live, as opposed to listening to a studio recorded track.Theres minimal intervention, a bit of "˜raw processes, and nothing filtered or cleaned up in any way.
The wines arent "˜squeaky clean, they are a bit "˜edgy, even a bit "˜raw. Always interesting, with a little soul left in.
Delicious, always smashable. And bloody good with any food.

(We are also indebted to the people who feel the same when they drink one of our wines, be them Bush Poet or or even Queenslander.)"

Chardonnay,

Old School flavour, New School freshness. Best of both worlds. Particularly suitable for any weeknight (or weekend). Large Puncheons (500L), natural acid, Lees Stirred. Bright and full of life.

Grapes were picked early for acidity and freshness, the wine goes through malo, gets some stirring and is then matured in 50% barriques and 50% stainless steel.

Chardonnay that tastes like Chardonnay!!!

Textual Yarra Valley Chardonnay.- Picked early, the wine goes through malo, gets some stirring and and is then matured in 50% barriques and 50% stainless steel. The wine has a rich textual element than a freshness and acid line that brings it all back together. Did someone say roast Chicken??

Yes, perfect for roast chicken, but not just chicken! Tacos, of the fish or chicken variety are perfect compliments, as are creamy chowders or charred crustaceans.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight on Payten & Jones Blog

As you can imagine, when Troy visited us, this white in a sea of reds was the first wine that we sampled. We in the shop have a love of Chardonnay, in some of us, namely Imogen, this love is toeing the line of fanatical. Many people claim they dislike Chardonnay and it’s easy to see why, with historical wines, particularly from countries such as Australia and the USA. Obvious and often over the top flavours of new oak were once the order of the day, wines were over ripe, tasted like sweet vanilla and were more buttery than Marco Pierre Whites cooking. Fashions have changed and a lot of producers have moved in the totally opposite direction, creating lean, acidic wines that can be beautiful and even ethereal in character, many in this style though, are almost featureless and are a real struggle to drink by themselves. Behn & Troy have gone for a middle ground, not in terms of quality mind, this is fantastic. Middle ground in terms of not “ya nan’s Chardonnay” but also not a waif. “Old School flavour, New School freshness,” is how they describe this wine. Grapes were picked early for acidity and freshness, the wine goes through malolactic fermentation, gets some stirring and is then matured in 50% European oak barriques and 50% stainless steel. The result is a fantastic roast chicken wine that is also fantastic just paired with itself.