A wine that will challenge anyone’s preconceptions about Australian Chardonnay. The pale silver colour immediately tells you that it’s neither over-extracted, nor over-oaked and the palate announces itself as a thoroughly modern wine, bristling with lean, sinewy energy and expertly-judged, fine-grained French oak. There’s a daring, green edge to the fruit, like under-ripe mango, which adds a piquant sourness to the white nectarine, grapefruit, lemongrass and ginger notes, scattered with shavings of white wood. If Australia had a ‘Grand Cru’ classification, you would have to include this wine, sourced from the low-yielding Birdwood vineyard and the Piccadilly Valley. 12.5% alc. Drink now-2030.

Press review:

The Wine Front: “"Part came from Birdwood, but it’s the Piccadilly portion that provides the quality of this beautifully cadenced chardonnay, malolactic fermentation for 30% of the wine after fermentation in new and used French oak, plus nine months’ maturation. Expensive to make, quality the dividend.” 96 points

JancisRobinson.com (previous vintage): “Gorgeous savoury fruit with a sharp crease of acidity folding through the middle – really lovely personality, with green apple, lemon juice, mango and grapefruit. Deliciously self-confident.” 17+ points