-
96
/ 100
Jane Faulkner -
95
/ 100
Campbell Mattinson -
18
/ 20
Max Allen
White
Classification
Chardonnay
Variety
2023
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
Australia
Country
Victoria, Mornington Peninsula
Region
13.5%
Alcohol %
5-10 Years
Cellaring
Scores
96 / 100"As with the pinot noir, this is the inaugural release and it’s a beauty, enticing immediately with aromas of citrus blossom, ginger flower, struck flint and warm, woodsy spice. There’s a savouriness within, alongside grapefruit and pith, lemon-infused creamy lees, grilled nuts and oak spice, all adding layers of flavour. Moreish, thanks to a whisper of sulphides, and while the fuller-bodied palate is shapely, super fine acidity extends the length and ties everything together. It’s worth noting how this comes to be, other than from fruit off the high-density vineyard: whole-bunch pressed to French oak, 25% new and mostly light toast Sirugue barriques, aged on lees for 10 months then popped into Nico Velo Tulipe concrete vessels for two months before bottling."
- Jane Faulkner
95 / 100
"Fantastic intensity of flavour matched to fantastic length. This is a chardonnay for lovers of chardonnay. There’s cedarwood oak in play, and a kind of nutty-creaminess too, but it’s the blaze of pear, white peach, grapefruit and steel that really woos. Citrussy acidity teams with the pear characters to give the wine an air of juicy refreshment, but everything is in the context of flavour, bold and delicious. This is an exceptional first release, and a truly beautiful wine.Max Allen (jancisrobinson.com)"
- Campbell Mattinson
18 / 20
"This is staggeringly good wine considering the age of vines (only planted in 2019) and the coolness of the vintage. The first thing that hits you is the concentration and intensity of it, both aromatically and – particularly – on the palate: confident, weighty, not heavy at all (even at 14% alcohol), just incisive and tangy, announcing itself as a delicious expression of the variety. Components of the 2024, tasted in barrel, show the same intensity and quality. This has all the early sign of being a great Chardonnay vineyard site."
- Max Allen
Tasting Notes
This wine is a blend of the 3 Chardonnay vineyards (lieu-dits); Verge, Buckshot and Seawinds.
Each vineyard was picked and vinified separately. The fruit was hand sorted and then whole bunch pressed with the juice run direct to a mix of new and older French oak barriques. A natural fermentation completed over the coming months. In total the wine spent 10 months in barrel before being transferred to large concrete vats for a further 2 months maturation before bottling.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity