Marnong Estate Chardonnay 2024

Much like the Single Vineyard Chardonnay, this opens with pronounced gunsmoke reduction, before brine and cashew cream emerge, joined by white peach and green pear. Pastry dough notes surface with air from the lees, and the salinity is pronounced but attractively so. The palate walks a fine line between tension and texture, with leesy complexity wrapping around pear, sea salt, grapefruit and flint. Firm, bright, grapefruit-laced acidity gathers the fruit and pulls it through to a long, saline, flint-led finish. Excellent concentration. An epic modern Chardonnay that had me double-checking the price. All this for $25? Run, don’t walk.