Chapel Hill The Vinedresser Chardonnay 2025

Chardonnay from the McLaren Vale may not be the sexiest varietal/region pairing these days, but the two have a good deal of history going for them, tending now into cooler watercourse and foothill sites up into the Blewitt Springs district, where this wine is partly sourced. The details are worth noting: half the wine is French oak aged with just 14% in new 500L vessels, the rest in stainless steel tanks for freshness and fruit purity. The finished style is fuller flavoured with impressive Chardonnay characters – stone fruits, almond meal, ripe yellow grapefruit with a soft, fresh acidity, all celebrating why the variety can be so accommodating and versatile, with genuine class in the right hands, such as winemaker Michael Fragos. This is bang on and value crazy.