Avani Issan Vineyard Chardonnay 2023

This Chardonnay commands attention through shape rather than volume. A saline, citrusy line runs straight through the palate, initially narrow and taut before gradually gathering flesh, with brown pear skin, chamomile, Earl Grey and fresh pine nut rather than anything toasted or roasted. The oak weaves between the fruit rather than sitting across it. There is power here, and considerable concentration, but the wine never feels heavy.

Issan is a four-hectare vineyard tucked behind the Korumburra Hills in South Gippsland, planted to Chardonnay in 1996 at 9,000 vines per hectare, an unusually high-density planting for Australia at the time. It has never been irrigated. The soils are lean despite Gippsland’s rainfall, a mixture of grey clay, loam, quartz and patches of darker volcanic material, and the flat site is exposed to enough wind, frost and occasional hail to make farming here precarious. Yields can be tiny, averaging around three bunches per vine, and the Chardonnay once formed part of the Bass Phillip estate wine before Avani took on the vineyard. Rohit Singh describes Issan simply: “When you’re on the margins, you make beautiful things.”

Avani now farms it themselves, without herbicides or systemic sprays, using organic treatments alongside extensive canopy work to keep air and sunlight moving through the vines. In the winery, the fruit is whole-bunch pressed and allowed a long natural fermentation, followed by 11 months in barrel with one new barrel among three. There is no bâtonnage and malolactic fermentation isn’t pushed. The approach makes sense for fruit carrying this much material already; adding more would obscure the line that makes Issan distinctive.

That line becomes the wine’s architecture. There is a certain droiture to it, acidity and salinity holding the centre while citrus ripeness and orchard fruit fill the space around them, then a faint briny bitterness appears towards the finish and keeps pulling you back. The length is exceptional. Even with its concentration, nothing spreads unnecessarily.

I would give it a decanter and a large Chardonnay glass, served closer to cellar temperature than refrigerator cold. On the second day a slight oxidative edge emerged that I found particularly compelling, nudging the wine towards something Jurançon-like and immediately making me think of terrine. It has the sophistication to carry that evolution. Chicken tagine. Roti Canai. Grilled Paneer.  

Liinaa Berry

Liinaa Berry is a Melbourne-based wine critic and consultant with over a decade of experience as a sommelier and wine buyer across Australia and around the world where she has built award-winning wine programs and championed independent producers with conviction. Now focused on reviewing and writing, Liinaa brings a floor-trained palate and commercial insight to her assessments. She is also the Melbourne Ambassador for Star Wine List and serves on the committee of Sommeliers Australia. An advocate for site-driven wines and thoughtful farming, Liinaa is particularly drawn to producers who articulate a clear sense of place. Her tasting philosophy centres on structure, balance and context — always asking not just how a wine tastes, but why it matters.