Winemaker Notes
#96 Wine Enthusiast Top 100 of 2017
On the nose there are hints of citrus and white flowers and on the palate the power and class shine through. A spine of crisp acidity is accompanied by great flavor through the line of the palate. There is a subtlety but also great concentration, and a purity that bodes well for cellaring.
This refined cool climate Chardonnay suits many different plates, but we find it to be a perfect match with pan-fried sea scallops.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Gorgeous aromas of lemon verbena, talc and pebble stone. A cooler vintage that was forever tight, yet this is running crystalline across scales from soprano to almost chenin-like vibrato, expansive and so impressively long. Among the finest Australian chardonnays tasted. While this is brilliant, it may become even greater with patience.
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Wine Enthusiast
The Pinot Noir is no slouch either, but Tolpuddle's 2014 Chardonnay is super. Faint hints of creme brulee mark the nose, then ease into lime, pineapple and white peach notes on the palate. It's only medium in weight, but with a silky feel and a long mouthwatering finish., Drink now through 2022.
Editors' Choice. -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There's a tropical pineapple lilt to both the nose and palate of the 2014 Chardonnay. The 2014 vintage was cool but also experienced “some frost, rain and a heat episode,” which go a long way in explaining the mouthfeel and flow of this wine. The intrinsic power of the vineyard remains unchanged in the glass and unwavering through the undulations of flavor and structural changes year on year. As always, the acidity is a glass rod of structure through the heart of this wine. Best After 2022
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Wine Spectator
A complex, succulent mix of sweet cream and honeysuckle, with vivid lemon and melon flavors. Toasted spice notes linger on the finish. Drink now through 2022.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Directly south of the city of Melbourne and the Mornington Peninsula wine region, the cool-climate island of Tasmania has earned an honorable reputation as the country’s finest producer of Sparkling Wine. Naturally the region also excels in top quality still wines from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling, all distinguished because of a high natural acidity. Most of the Tasmania vineyards cluster around the eastern side of the island from north to south.