Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5m Chardonnay 2023

The Adelaide Hills 2023 vintage was the coolest of the four consecutive cool vintages since 2020. To quote winemaker, Brian Croser, the ’23 Chardonnays are far from “overt.” I find that re-assuring, the vintage speaks and it’s beautifully fine with purity of fruit and acidity layered naturally, succinctly, making 1.5m poised for further ageing. Meyer lemon, lemon drop, nectarine, peach aromas with a hint of cashew – in other words an alluring introduction.
Still incredibly youthful, offers a core of perfectly pitched citrus and stone fruits in balance and concentrated. Textural, too, as it comes together with nougat and roasted nuts joining fruit and gently spiced oak. Everything is in place. The only question remaining: to drink now, or not . . .

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