Smeaton Estate Stella Chardonnay 2023

From the Smeaton family estate vineyard in the Forreston district of the northern Adelaide Hills, this is a Chardonnay that steps out a bit with plenty to show off. No shyness in terms of its classic Hills fruit character – just ripe peach, more yellow than white, cashew, baking spices, and a faint impression of stone and flint which sits well in the overall textural feel, part creamy, part chalky. All of this stems from the Smeaton’s 50 year old vines, its flavourful statement impressive in just the inaugural vintage as a family-badged wine. Big ups to seasoned winemaker Con Moshos, who has plenty of Chardonnay runs on the board during his years at Petaluma and now Tapanappa, here steering this wine into the top rungs of the region’s much championed Chardonnay oeuvre.