Highgate Barrel Selection Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2023

A sunny, bright Chardonnay that doesn’t try to reinvent the Hunter style, simply presents some nicely extended barrel-aged qualities to enhance, and bring that little something extra to a wine that just asks you to open and enjoy it right now. Falls very much into the drink now kind of style for me, although there might be those who choose to differ. While the use of “barrel selection” might raise expectations of high oak, its use is integrated and works well in delivering added touches of hazelnut and toastiness amid a wine filled to brimming in Asian pear, peach and melon fruits with layers of spice. Medium bodied with a light texture that helps with both the building of flavour and length, it also boasts Hunter brisk acidity.

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