Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2020

If chardonnay is indeed making a comeback, it’s through wines like these where much of the excitement dwells. The trio of Tapanappa Adelaide Hills chardonnays are about cool climate viticulture, attention to detail and commitment to a style that is very much about projecting the quality of the fruit in any given vintage. The Tiers is the high point in the chardonnay collection, the one that creates the buzz or, what winemakers call, “the halo effect.” Its high status brings added sheen to the lesser priced wines.

A quiet elegance lives here. Don’t overchill this wine or you will lose that inner beauty. The scent of white flowers mixes with fine-edged fruit qualities of grapefruit, Delicious apple, mandarin skin and dusty lemon. Citrus plays out on the palate with a grapefruit pithiness before moving into a warm, textural glow. Oak is nicely integrated. It’s complex and worthy of extra time in the cellar. If you can, give it that time.