Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Chardonnay 2021

Even in a good year like 2021, there’s no escaping Drumborg’s racy acidity. It stands sentinel over the ’21 chardonnay, guarding the wine’s structure and fruit intensity as it continues to age, and bringing a lively minerality in its wake. It’s a mainstay of the wine, a feature, that almost – almost – threatens to dominate the wine. Look a little closer and there is a subtlety, too, working its way to the surface.  Red apple, grapefruit pulp, lemon zest, peach skin aromas. A tight, clenched fist of citrus fruit joins almond meal, quince on the palate, the latter a real lip-smacking feature. It must be said that the winemaker regards “mineral acidity” as a hallmark of the region. It’s a worthwhile distinction because that mineral-ness brings a touch of complexity and tension to the chardonnay, something that makes it quite out of the ordinary. It is to be celebrated.