Xavier Wine Avon Chardonnay 2024
- 94
- $72
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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.
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.
