Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2024

Here we have the pinnacle Chardonnay release from the first vineyard planted in the Piccadilly Valley since the 19th century. Restrained power is the term that comes to mind here. It’s tight and focussed, yielding enough aromatic presence to get you excited, but for the future more than the present. Grapefruit, white nectarine and white peach sit above cashew, lemon juice, almond, taut green apple and floral bath salts that build with air. Some mandarin pith and flint notes follow, and there’s a mineral shot through the centre in an oyster shell form bringing a lovely twang of saline complexity. The fine cedar oak is taking a back seat here, supporting an otherwise fresh, bright and powerful wine. The palate is tight and chalky in a similarly intensely coiled and tensile feel with rapier acidity constricting the mouth around lemon juice, green apple, peach blossom, peach skin and mandarin skin. The finish is immensely architectural, with bitter grapefruit laced phenolics gripping at the sides along with that salivating acid line to a citrussy, chalky close. Wow, this one is for the long haul and the rewards of patience will undoubtedly excite.

Tom Kline

Wine Critic at Winepilot

Tom Kline is a wine writer, reviewer, presenter, and educator based in Victoria, Australia. He is the Australian correspondent for the internationally respected publications Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy and Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux, where he highlights the top tier of Australian wine for a global audience. Tom also writes for leading outlets including Decanter (UK), Wine Spectator (US), and Halliday Magazine, among others. An experienced wine show judge and WSET educator, he has authored several consumer-focused wine courses aimed at making wine more accessible and engaging. In 2023, Tom was awarded Best Published Feature Article or Wine Column at the prestigious Wine Communicator Awards, presented by Wine Communicators of Australia.

Wine tasting and writing