Wine: Hardy’s Eileen Hardy

It took only four years to design the original matrix for Eileen Hardy Chardonnay.

Tom Newton is the taciturn farm boy from Horsham in central Victoria who, in 1980, graduated from Roseworthy Agricultural College with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Oenology degree. Fast forward to today and he's the long-serving group white winemaker at Thomas Hardy, having started his career in 1982 as leading cellarhand at the Siegersdorf winery. It took only four years to design the original matrix for Eileen Hardy Chardonnay, which between 1986 and 2014 accumulated an astonishing 41 trophies and 99 gold medals at capital city wine shows.

I was privileged recently to taste 25 of the vintages responsible for winning that bucket of golden awards. The first bracket, from '86 to '96, was entitled "In search for complexity". Padthaway was the sole source of grapes through to '91 and the largest contributor to'96. A breakthrough vintage in 1989 won six trophies at the Adelaide show between '90 and '94, the '96 bringing the search period to a triumphant close with a seven-trophy haul, scooping the pool in Adelaide and sending Tom Newton on his way around the world courtesy of the Singapore Airlines Trophy for Most Outstanding Wine of Show.

The second group, '97 to '03, was entitled "The cool climate revolution" as Padthaway disappeared from the scene and the Yarra Valley, Tasmania and Adelaide Hills picked up the pace.

Behind this regional jousting, winemaking techniques were fundamentally changing, with wild yeast fermentation of cloudy juice contrasting with the "made like riesling" approach of earlier years.

The last group ("Refinement of a lady") began with great change for Eileen: the (slightly overdue) adoption of the screwcap in '04. While Tasmania and the Upper Yarra are the usual contributors, the percentage of each varies substantially from year to year, with the wild card of Margaret River in '14.

You do not make a great wine by using a formula.

2013 HARDYS EILEEN HARDY MCLAREN VALE SHIRAZ

The texture creates an instant impression, making the moderate alcohol seem even lower than it is.

This is an old-money aristocrat, elegantly unfurling layer after layer of red and black fruits, licorice and spice on the prodigiously long palate.

The best Eileen since'71.

14.1% alc, screwcap 98 points, drink to 2048, $130

2014 HARDYS EILEEN HARDY TASMANIA YARRA VALLEY CHARDONNAY

A wine with an impeccable pedigree, and synergy between Tasmania and Hardys' Upper Yarra Bastard Hill vineyard. I would guess the Yarra Valley adds fruit flesh to the minerally structure ex Tasmania. The wild card is the small percentage from Margaret River.

13.5% alc, screwcap 97 points, drink to 2024, $95

2014 HARDYS EILEEN HARDY TASMANIA PINOT NOIR

Deep crimson-purple; competes with its sister Bay of Fires Pinot, a similar power behind the deep colour of its robes. Demands time for its texture to open up and its spicy black cherry/ plum to supply the mouthfeel.

13.4% alc, screwcap 94 points, drink to 2029, $95