I tasted the 2019 Estate Chardonnay six years from harvest, almost to the date, and the wine is showing white chocolate, cigar leaf, shaved fennel and white peach. On the palate, the wine is complete—rich and full, with acidity that feels undiminished by time and with flavors of caramel wafer, salted peach and something like malt/Ovaltine that kisses the edges of the fruit. I'd be interested to see where this goes, because the finish and acidity remain composed—unfragmented—hinting at a longer life than perhaps the fruit has in it. It's exciting to drink now, though, and will be for the next few years.

The estate Chardonnay is a blend of six different vineyards with approximately 20% fermented in new oak barrels. Texturally, this cuvée offers a sense of flow; it is relaxed in its own skin but provides welcome tension on the precise finish thanks to a line of firm acidity that will leave you smacking your lips. The 20% new oak is well integrated, contributing delicate nougat flavors, and allowing the subtle nectarine and honeydew melon flavors to shine on the medium-length finish.

Beautiful bacon smoke on the nose, melon and red apple on the palate. Leesy and textural with long, grainy length. Dry and appetising, with moderate acidity and plentiful body – this is modern Chardonnay without the diet. A three-course meal of a Chardonnay. (RH)

A little less tense than the 2020 Estate. Even verging on blowsy? The fruit and acidity are not quite as seamlessly integrated as on the 2020. If I hadn’t got the 2020 to compare it with, I would probably have been even more enthusiastic! (JR)