2023 Tiers Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Cool and low-yielding vintage. Hand-picked on 13 April from the Tiers vineyard old block (1981). Chilled in trays to 2 °C. Whole-bunch pressed in airbag presses. Pumped to tank before being gravity-fed to French oak barriques (one-third new) for fermentation. The fermentation lasted two months. Barrel-aged on full lees until November of 2023 when it was clear racked from barrique and bottled. TA 8.5 g/l, pH 3.12. Such a big, heavy bottle that the slow pour doesn't fit in the neck ... Very sweet and intense citrus aroma. The fruit tastes sweet on the palate, too, though I presume it is technically dry. Ripe, rounded and mouth-wateringly fresh, with subtle yet sufficient oak to add a layer of complexity. Deep and sweet-fruited to a long finish. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Fresh aromas of minerals, lemon peel, gun smoke and grapefruit. The palate is medium-bodied with focused acidity and a textural mouthfeel, giving notes of lime curd, orange blossoms, shortbread, flint and baking spices. Wonderfully balanced, with both power and vivid acidity. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
The 2023 Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay has elderflower and white peach, pressed flowers and kiwi fruit, custard apples and scraped vanilla pod. The wine is delicate but also powerful and finishes in a spooling flourish of flavor and salty acidity. A very smart wine here, it is decidedly cool in feel. Patience will be required in order to see this wine unfurl to its best; for now, it is a floral thing. 12.9% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
What a super wine this is. As we all know, good Chardonnay often comes at a price, given the necessary inputs required to come together. From quality oak, lower-yielding vines and often time spent maturing prior to release, it's easy to see the costs mounting up; and for this reason, we go to premium producers who are able to realize the quality of the fruit within already existing winery structures. So here, in this 2023 Chardonnay, we see Tapanappa putting their considerable Chardonnay prowess into a wine that officially retails at $60 AUD (available for less if you search for it), and worth every cent of that. On the nose, there is roasted pineapple, baked apples, white and yellow peach, crushed nuts and brine. This flows through to the palate, which is slippery, svelte, spicy and structured by chalky tannins and tightly coiled acidity. Great! 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.