Nannup Estate Phillip Stanley Chardonnay 2020

Quite the individual, contrasting warmth and texture with resounding acidity. Interestingly, Blackwood Valley is a region sitting between Margaret River and the Great Southern. This chardonnay seems to exhibit rather nicely its geolocation, combining some of Marg’s plushness with Great Southern’s cool acidity and restraint. Citrus, white peach, honeysuckle aromatics with some charry notes enliven the bouquet. The palate maintains a restrained line of acidity opening quietly to reveal a creamy, pithy texture – just a touch – against a bright citrussy background.  But it’s early days. You sense this is a wine with time on its hands, quite taut, not ready just yet to do the full reveal. Give it time.

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