Castelli Estate Chardonnay 2023 

Fruit from Albany, Denmark and Mount Barker, fermented in oak for eight months, one month in stainless steel with weekly lees stirring. Peaches, lemon balm and pineapple rings. Golden delicious apples, Gardenia blooms and honeycomb. Candied ginger and nutmeg. Gorgeously ripe but with savoury notes of puff pastry, anzac biscuits and charred sourdough. Acidity lingers around an almond buttercream mouthfeel. Buttered popcorn, vanilla and caramel finishes. This is steadfast in its weighty frame but with lovely lifts of florals and perfume. A lot of wine for your money here. Drink now and will cellar for 3-6 years. A good chicken pie and you are in comfort food heaven.

Shanteh Wale

Contributor at Wine Companion

Shanteh cut her teeth at Sydney’s Award-Winning Quay restaurant where she worked for over a decade and was Head Sommelier from 2018 till 2022. She has been nominated for the Good Food Guide Sommelier of the Year award on three occasions and claims that her experience as a Len Evans scholar as one of the highlights of her career. Shanteh hosts her own weekly podcast ‘Over A Glass’ with the Deep in the Weeds Network and spends her time writing for various publications and judging at numerous wine shows across the country.

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