Xavier Wine Avon Chardonnay 2024

From a single hectare of old vines planted in 1987 at the Avon Vineyard in Maffra, Gippsland, this is a striking departure from the classic Chardonnay style – a beguiling and deeply characterful expression of place. There’s a depth of sensibility here – not brooding, but savoury in tone. Aromas of candied ginger, yellow apple, persimmon, grilled nuts, and a saline, nutty fino sherry-like tang emerge, with a flicker of nougat in support. As it opens, a build of riverstone minerality develops, along with toasty elements that drift around the fruit. It’s a distinctive and unique profile.  The palate is saline and nutty with a powder-coated texture and lovely verve – green apple skin tang, saline minerality, pickled ginger, powdery yellow apple, and bitter green almond all layered in. It’s wrapped in fine, pliant phenolics and threaded with a vein of cooling acidity that drives length and salivation across the bitter and tangy notes. A fascinating wine – unlikely to appeal to lovers of classic Chardonnay, but sure to intrigue and reward those open to alternative expressions.