Rising Yarra Valley One Acre Chardonnay 2021 

‘This Chardonnay comes exclusively from Birdwood block, comprised of 30-year-old vines grown on a steep, south-facing slope at Rising. We hand-picked this block twice in 2021, on the 3rd March and again on the 10th of March; this wine is a blend of the best barrels across those two picks. Planted in 1993 to P58 clone, these vines remain on own roots. Handpicked and whole-bunch pressed to French oak (25% new) for indigenous ferment. Minimum sulphur was added in early Spring 2021. Although the wine was left un-sulphured for a few months, it has not been through malolactic fermentation. Racked and filtered in March 2022 after 12 months on full lees in oak.’

Yarra Valley Chardonnay is an easy sell for me (as it is for many wine lovers), and when it’s a quality drop like this one which is also very well priced, then please just take my money. There’s oodles of complexity on show here, with vibrant citrus and apricot and cool cucumber, with a steely minerality and acid zippiness that gives the palate drive and energy. The oak offers toasty notes, while some bottle age has seen the development of a smoky character that I can’t get enough of in an aged Chardonnay. The mouthfeel is delightful – silky and vivid – making for a very satisfying wine that will continue to improve for years to come.