2023 Pressing Matters Chardonnay $65

06/28/2025

Long-time supporters of Pressing Matters in the Coal River Valley might be somewhat surprised to see Chardonnay on the company's re-fashioned labels. The variety was part of the 3ha Morningside Vineyard – established in 1980 by the Bosworth family – acquired by the Melick and Hall families in 2019.

Stargazer's Sam Connew brought this 2023 Chardonnay to life in the winery.

It comes from a vintage that was cool, wet and late, and characterised by low to very low crop yields. So it's no surprise the wine is long, focused and very intense in nature, almost in spite of having undergone 100 percent malolactic fermentation. Indeed, for a wine weighing in at 13.2% alcohol, it's remarkably elegant and light on its feet.

In the glass, it's a brilliant, very pale green straw colour, telegraphing something of its youth and physiological ripeness. Tasted at cellar door, the wine opened with aromatics that were quite Riesling-like initially, namely citrus/lemon and white nectarine, with a faint whiff of sulphide that disappeared with a shake of the glass.

Extremely youthful – and not very expressive either – the wine's flavours build with a little aeration. White peach/white nectarine, lemon/grapefruit, subtle vanillin oak and a little minerality all make their presence known. There's little to genuinely excite right now but the wine leaves you with a sense of anticipation. I'd love to see how it's developed in another 4-5 years. There's a certain Chablis-like undercurrent I find appealing.

Source: Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year Field Day, Pressing Matters, June 2026