The Lucky Lizard Chardonnay
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed within 3 to 8 years from vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted chicken, grilled salmon with lemon-butter sauce, creamy mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
Sourced from the cool-climate slopes of the Adelaide Hills, d'Arenberg's 'The Lucky Lizard' Chardonnay is a vibrant and textured white wine that beautifully contrasts the estate's warmer McLaren Vale reds. The wine's quirky name pays homage to a fortunate little lizard discovered unharmed in the grape crusher during a past harvest, which was quickly rescued and returned to the vines as a symbol of good luck. This Chardonnay is crafted using traditional, hands-on methods: the grapes are gently pressed, followed by wild fermentation in French oak barriques. To build complexity and a luscious mouthfeel, the wine undergoes regular lees stirring (battonage) without undergoing malolactic fermentation, preserving its crisp, natural acidity and bright citrus core.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1912 by Joseph Osborn, d'Arenberg has grown into one of McLaren Vale's most iconic and storied family-owned estates in South Australia. Under the visionary stewardship of fourth-generation winemaker Chester Osborn, the winery adheres strictly to traditional, sustainable methods, utilizing certified organic and biodynamic viticulture along with foot-treading and basket pressing. Renowned for its eclectic naming conventions and distinctive red-stripe label, the estate crafts a wide spectrum of expressive wines with a particular mastery of Rhône varieties, old-vine Grenache, and robust Shiraz. Signature bottlings such as 'The Dead Arm Shiraz' and 'The Ironstone Pressings' stand as benchmarks of regional depth, complexity, and age-worthy character.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Chardonnay 100%
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
13.0% - 14.0%