Thompson Estate Chardonnay 2024
- 93
- $60
- Drink by: 2025-2033
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Margaret River Chardonnay is one of this country’s great wine styles. These guys are relative newcomers to the pointy end of production, but they are truly making every post a winner, if you will excuse the awful cliché. The colour here is a gleaming pale gold. The nose reveals notes of stone fruit, melon, ginger, cashews and nutmeg from the oak integration, flickers of citrus and a touch of mandarin. The oak handling is very much a highlight and melding impeccably. There is serious intensity here and real length with a line of fine acidity and supple texture that will impress. The palate sees the emergence of touches of lemongrass and peaches. This will drink beautifully for the next five to eight years and there is room for improvement over this period.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
