2023 Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay $105

Tasmania's Coal River Valley has a brand spanking new cellar door, and lovers of arguably Australia's best cool climate Chardonnay will soon be queueing by the gate to get their hands on these ultra-scarce releases from the Shaw + Smith property just outside Richmond. They're genuinely door-busting wines.

The valley is surprisingly among the nation's driest wine-producing districts, with annual rainfall seldom exceeding 450mm. The 2022-23 growing season was damper and cooler than most, laying the foundations for table wines with tremendous elegance and finesse. This barrel-fermented Chardonnay is dry and intensely citrussy with overtones of grapefruit and white nectarine. It finishes with very satisfying texture and persistent flavour, albeit framed by vibrant natural acidity. This is a really wonderful, special occasion wine. 

Bravo, Adam Wadewitz. With extended ageing, the wine is bound to become a career highlight for Wine Magazine's 2022 Winemaker of the Year. 

Source: Media sample. 

www.tolpuddlevineyard.com