Mitchelton Chardonnay 2020

My love affair with Mitchelton began in the first year that I arrived in Melbourne. It was 1993, and I was fresh off the plane from London. My local wine shop in St Kilda stocked the Mitchelton 1991 Print Label Shiraz (made by the incomparable Don Lewis) and, if I rattle my brain hard enough, I believe I can recall it was somewhere in the region of $27 a bottle – a huge amount for me at the time.

Mitchelton’s Preece label then was ubiquitous in Melbourne’s cafés and restaurants, and to me their premium Print Label cuvee was a major step up from what I was used to buying back in Old Blighty. My dreams of cellaring any bottles crumbled as I just couldn’t stop myself cracking them open to drink (later in life I learnt to store any decent wine off site, and far, far away from temptation) but today I still recall the wine, and its dusky pink artwork, very fondly.

Fast forward almost thirty years and I’m trying to remember how long it actually has been since I drank anything from Mitchelton. Too long, I fear! Consequently I’m very glad to see their name, and their wines, re-emerge. And so to today’s wine: Mitchelton’s latest release single vineyard estate chardonnay.

From vines 25 to 30 years old, this wine is pale gold and absolutely sings in the glass: the nose is lactic and creamy, with apricot yoghurt, toasted pine nuts and a saline minerality. The palate is rich but elegant, the acid backbone taut and fresh, and with notes of struck flint, nectarine crumble and custard. The wine is elegant and modern, balancing on a fine wire between palate weight, savouriness and freshness. The finish is long and enticing, it definitely begs another glass and it’s a bargain for the price. It’s great to be reacquainted with Mitchelton again: I will be looking out for their Print shiraz in my local wine store once again and this time I might try and hold on to some!