Fleet Wines Leongatha Chardonnay 2025
- 93
- $45
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A single site in Leongatha, South Gippsland, on north-facing, easterly-aspected slopes over deep red basalt volcanic soils. Planted in 1990. Whole-bunch pressed to tank for settling, then racked to neutral puncheons for fermentation. Lees stirred throughout élevage for texture and complexity, racked prior to bottling. 100% malolactic fermentation. Savoury notes of toasted almond and ground nutmeg spice lead the perfume before honeysuckle, quince, nashi pear, ripe citrus and white peach cut through. There’s some oyster shell minerality adding a saline twang, and the wine seems to deepen with air into riper stone fruit tones and allusions of Bergamot tea. The palate has a lovely creamy and pillowy texture that’s quickly sliced up by Meyer lemon, ripe lime, white peach and pear. There’s some waxy tones, some bitter citrus-preserve bite, and a lovely shot of flinty minerality through the wine’s core. Fine-but-firm phenolics carry a green almond-like bitterness through the finish which draws to good length. This is a strong release carrying interest through a melding of precise fruit and savoury complexity.
Tom Kline is a wine writer, reviewer, presenter, and educator based in Victoria, Australia. He is the Australian correspondent for the internationally respected publications Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy and Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux, where he highlights the top tier of Australian wine for a global audience. Tom also writes for leading outlets including Decanter (UK), Wine Spectator (US), and Halliday Magazine, among others. An experienced wine show judge and WSET educator, he has authored several consumer-focused wine courses aimed at making wine more accessible and engaging. In 2023, Tom was awarded Best Published Feature Article or Wine Column at the prestigious Wine Communicator Awards, presented by Wine Communicators of Australia.
