Winepilot

Sourced from three vineyards across the Piccadilly Valley, for many one of the premier Chardonnay growing districts in the Adelaide Hills, this has been fermented in barrel with indigenous yeasts before nine months maturation in both older and new Burgundian oak. Every step here feels like it has been deftly steered to create a beautifully pure expression of the variety in its regional modality. The nose suggests nut creams and white nectarine, oak notes subtle, stone fruits spilling into the palate with a squeeze of lime, a tang of sorbet, a faint suggestion of elderflower with a foundation of refreshing acidity. Everything is in place, in the right balance, drinking delightfully. Spot on.”

James Halliday

“A very fine, sleek and racy expression of chardonnay, where understatement is a reward. Flint, green apple, lime, cinnamon spice, thyme herbal lift, all bundled up in a dart-shape thrust of energetic, light weight white wine. A good, chalky pucker to finish. Bright as a button.

Tom Kline

“An excellent Chardonnay that takes you on a journey as it unfurls. There’s quite a bit of creamy oak on first look before a swirl of the glass unlocks cinnamon, toasted nuts and a plume of wood smoke. The fruit is tightly wound, unfurling at a glacial pace to reveal just-ripe white nectarine, tight lemon and flickers of green apple, before some delicate lees-derived shortcrust pastry and pithy white grapefruit emerge with air. Taut and racy at this young age, though the bones are clearly there. The palate follows in kind — coiled and nervy, with a core trying hard to break free. Lemon, white grapefruit, ground cinnamon, fine cedar. A tight line of chalky phenolics wraps around the palate like a corset, and a shot of citrus-drenched acid saturates the back palate. There’s genuine class on show, but its tightness and febrility require patience. When it opens up, it’s a brilliant expression. Precise, structural, complex — one to watch blossom with time in the cellar.”

Ray Jordan

“From the cooler climes of Piccadilly Valley within the Adelaide Hills comes this quite delightful, delicate, yet flavoursome Chardonnay. It was fermented in oak using wild yeasts and then aged in a mix of new and old Burgundian oak for about nine months. Clearly, the aim is to retain texture and complexity while delivering a degree of delicacy and finesse. It does it in spades. Light lemon curd and citrus with a little vanilla pod on the nose, and then a palate that is quite fine and delicate, yet with a deeper intensity that extends through to a very long finish. This is a really appealing wine for the medium term, but great current drinking.

The Real Review

“Pretty aromas of just-ripe white stone fruit, grapefruit pith, grilled nuts, spice and a touch of struck flint. Fine and focused, with a drive of citrus, nectarine and tangy acidity. There’s lovely complexity and layers here. Delicious.”

James Suckling

A restrained wine with aromas of grilled lemons, flint, grapefruit, crushed stones and gun smoke. The palate is precise and pure, with a mid-weighted mouthfeel and fine acidity. There’s nice balance of fruit density and minerals, finishing with a saline edge and high tension. Delicious.

Robert Parker

The 2024 Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay leads with toasty reduction and a rich, enveloping nose of stone fruits, exotic spices and curry leaf. The palate follows in this same vein, offering a whole lot of wine for the money. The finish is lean and a little metallic, the reduction serving to clip the finish rather than allow an easy flow of unbroken flavor. However, this remains a very impressive wine, one that I am sure will please legions of thirsty Chardonnay drinkers.