Gralyn Estate Wildberry Springs Reserve Chardonnay 2018

What a difference a vintage makes. From the citrus fineness of the ’17 we enter a fuller, richer world of chardonnay with the ’18 Gralyn reserve chardonnay. It brings to mind a favourite saying of a colleague when tasting top rate Margaret River chardonnay: “Exactly where the power stops and the delicacy starts is difficult to tell.” Indeed.

Fruit intensity and concentration is off the charts and is accorded some pretty smart – and harmonious – oak. White flowers, nectarine, white peach, mango skin combines with warm toasty, vanillin oak. A harmonious mouthful of pleasure here goes hand in hand with juicy, bright acidity. Once again, the Gralyn signature is apparent; this elegant, youthful wine is bound for the cellar ….. if you have the patience.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic