Thompson Estate The Specialist Chardonnay 2024

Those who have not encountered this wine previously need to rectify that as soon as possible, especially if they are fans of topnotch Chardonnay. This wine is actually very similar to their Estate Chardy from the same vintage, but it offers an extra degree of finesse. A percentage of new French oak, around one-third, is used in maturation and it, too, takes the wine to a higher level. The colour here is a lovely lemon/gold. The nose offers alluring perfumes of peaches, nectarines, cashews, florals, ginger, lemon curd, florals and melon. We see a move to oatmeal on the palate and the early signs of the complexity that will surely build to a crescendo over the next decade. As mentioned, the oak is even more impressive here and it does seem to have progressed through integration a little quicker. There is good focus and length here, with a fine line of fresh acidity. Surely, a ten-year proposition.