Picardy Chardonnay 2025

All Dijon clones and from the estates single vineyard, handpicked, dry grown and matured in 25 new oak. A wine with lovely soft lemon flesh, Gardenia flowers and Honeysuckle. Japanese melon, golden apple and kernel. This is such an elegant wine, oak adds a creamy base with some warmed butter and citrus and white peach are focused and ripe on the palate. This has a personality that gets along well with all food groups, feels leisurely and immensely sippable on its own and has a faceted structure for long term aging, between 5-10 years further.  Length of flavour and the arc of roast almond stays for long moments. There are some great Chardonnays in this country and this is one of them, graceful and full of humility. A wine I would pick out of the crowd at any opportunity I get.  Try this with baked leeks and chicken thighs bathed in a cream sauce.

Shanteh Wale

Contributor at Wine Companion

Shanteh cut her teeth at Sydney’s Award-Winning Quay restaurant where she worked for over a decade and was Head Sommelier from 2018 till 2022. She has been nominated for the Good Food Guide Sommelier of the Year award on three occasions and claims that her experience as a Len Evans scholar as one of the highlights of her career. Shanteh hosts her own weekly podcast ‘Over A Glass’ with the Deep in the Weeds Network and spends her time writing for various publications and judging at numerous wine shows across the country.

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