Lowestoft Chardonnay 2021 [WA 95]

HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION 2024

Tamar Valley/Coal River Valley/Tasman Peninsula-sourced Chardonnay; matured in large format French oak for 10 months. An immediate wash of mealy lemon, grapefruit, white peach and nectarine fruit notes along with hints of fine spice, white flowers, flint, crushed river stone, nougat, oyster shell and sexy French oak. There is a swirl of struck-match complexity in the mix, and the wine presents an expansive palate with plenty of clarity, tension and complexity. A long, dreamy finish, too. 95 points.

ERIN LARKIN, ROBERT PARKER WINE ADVOCATE 2023

Tasted beside the 2020, this 2021 Estate Chardonnay is finer and tighter; the acidity has a rapier-like cut and thrust and engages in a parry with the fruit on the mid-palate. It has notes of preserved citrus, yellow peach, curry leaf and juniper—a hint of sage, even? There are elements in here that teeter on the brink of green, but it provides balance, depth and edge to what is otherwise a very concentrated (almost yellow-fruited) wine. 95 points.