Heroes Otway Hinterland Chardonnay 2023
- 94
- $65
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James Thomas is finally making the waves his wines deserve. A masterful balance on display here, with fine cedar, white peach, salted grapefruit and nougat making up the core and some complexifying saline minerality and lemon zest around the edges. A good swirl of the glass unlocks some prettying citrus blossoms and talc-like tones. There’s lovely supple texture on the palate giving a sense of grace as white peach, lemon curd, salted lemon, nougat, fine cedar and white almond glide through the mouth. A firm surge of bright, saline acidity and chalky phenolics fan the wine out through the back palate adding textural dimension and drawing it all to excellent length. Weighing in at a breezy 12.3% ABV, this is classy Chardonnay of eminent balance, complexity and length with intensity and freshness in equal measure.
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.
