Wynns Black Label Messenger Chardonnay 2025

It’s hardly surprising that in good years, like 2025, Chardonnay in Coonawarra can perform exceptionally well. In this case, I would say it’s one of the best I have seen over the many years that this wine has been produced. There’s a pure, pristine quality about the wine from the moment you take in the heady aromas of lemon curd, grapefruit, and that nectar and stone fruit, with just a faint touch of cashew. The palate has quite a bracing feel about it, but there is good flesh, with those stone fruit complexities and a creamy richness. It’s had nine months in oak, 28% of which was new French, and it was a mix of hogsheads and barriques. So the oak has been impeccably handled to highlight the fruit qualities. This is a mighty impressive wine.