Costing near $5 then, with 12% alcohol, the 24 year-old wine, Black Opal 1996 Chardonnay from South Australia, scored 15 Dionysian points out of a possible 20. It looked completely shot! No yellow or even gold left, just amber brown in color, but the nose was like a pie of tropical fruits. It wasn’t make to age, but I’d lost it with a mix of older wines.

It was served with chicken done with a heavy butter sauce and a cucumber salad.

The wine lasted for over half an hour before fading in aroma and flavors. Sometimes you just have to be willing to wait if you want to learn. I love the complex flavors older wines develop and this was a unique experience. I do, however, drink most Australian whites rather young. In Vino Veritas.