Geoff Merrill Reserve Chardonnay 2019

A blend of the best barrels from their Coonawarra and McLaren Vale vineyards – granted, not names commonly associated with Chardonnay, but this is a style that will have many fans. 77% McLaren Vale and 23% Coonawarra, the wine saw 11 months in new French hogsheads. Deep yellow hue, it already has some attractive developments characters – not often we see a Chardy first released at four years of age. Notes of beeswax and honeycomb, dried apricots and stonefruit. Gentle oak is evident, but the integration has worked well. There is a crème brulée texture here too on a palate that offers masses of fruit flavours with ripe peach notes to the fore, ripe and rich. This is an old fashioned style of Chardonnay, which will put some off, but also attract many fans. One of the questions often posed about Aussie Chardonnay, by drinkers at least, is why don’t we still see those big, rich, full throttle styles any more? If that is you, then this wine will make you very happy. Drink now for two to three years. The score? For some it will be excessive, others will find it miserly.