The Story
The Lindenman’s Bin 65 Chardonnay 2018 is one of CheapWineFinder’s perennial favorites it is an amazingly inexpensive Chardonnay (this time we found it on sale for $2.99, Binny’s Chicago) that delivers year after year. Sourced from multiple vineyards in Southeast Australia, Lindeman’s is no longer an operating winery, it is a brand. A large production, very inexpensive Brand wine does not sound like a promising proposition, but in this case, it works. The Bin 65 Chardonnay brand is been around since 1985 and in its time has received accolades from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker. This is the little Chardonnay that could.
The Bin 65 Chardonnay is a young wine and is made to be bright and full of citrus and fruit, but they did use French oak for seasoning. I doubt if they used actual oak barrels, the tasting notes didn’t mention barrels which is usually a solid clue, but they just make too much of this Chard to use barrels. A French oak barrel can cost $1,000, I don’t see how they can buy enough barrels to age this wine and still be able to sell for the price they do. As I said, I found it for $2.99, but it regularly sells for 5 or 6 bucks. The technotes don’t say, but I think it is aged “on lees” since it has a creamy flavor on the mid-palate that often comes from “on lees” (aged with the dead yeast left in the tank and then stirred at regular intervals). In the past, it wasn’t ever the greatest Chardonnay in the world, but at its price point, it was or is King. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
The Tasting Notes
The color is a clean, clear pale wheat yellow. The nose is green apple, lemon, a little vanilla, a touch of peach, a little pear, with a slap of melon. This is a dry Chardonnay (sometimes very inexpensive wines are on the sweet side to give it the illusion of having more flavor) with balanced acidity. It tastes of a mix of grapefruit and pear, green apple, lime, lemon curd, and light spice. The mid-palate adds that salty sensation from “on lees”, faint banana (of all things), kiwi, and a hint of cream. The acidity is very good, the kind that gets you to reach for another sip, but does not bite. The finish is fairly full and long.
The Summary
- I don’t want to oversell the Bin 65 Chard, but if you ask someone who just had a taste what they would guess the price is, they would never say $2.99 or even $5 or $6, it tastes and has the body of a Chardonnay in the 10 or 12 buck range.
- The 2018 vintage has more citrus notes than the last couple of vintages which were more on the ripe and juicy fruit side. The leaner more focused 2018 vintage has a touch of elegance.
- The Lindeman’s Bin 65 Chardonnay would make a great Holiday party wine, a wine that tastes great and costs little, what more could you ask for?
