2016 Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay

I'm not sold on this subregion being particularly favorable for white wines, but the medium-bodied 2016 Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay is a solid effort. Delicate aromas of cashew butter and white peaches embrace a core of pineapple fruit, which gradually turns more grapefruit-like on the lingering, elegant finish.

A gorgeous chardonnay, the inviting bouquet shows white nectarine, rockmelon, vanilla and hazelnut aromas with nuances of flint and oatmeal. The palate is concentrated and beautifully weighted, delivering fabulous fruit purity combined with stylish oak infusion, brilliantly framed by creamy texture and bright acidity.

Bright, even yellow colour with lemon-gold hues, a little paler on the rim. The nose is fresh and elegant with openly accessible aromatic volume, showing white and yellow stonefruits complexed by a harmonious layering of gunflint and minerals, along with nutty oak and subtle creamy barrel-ferment nuances, revealing toasty oak hints. The aromatics build in intensity and concentration with aeration. Medium-bodied, the palate has bright and refreshing flavours of white and yellow stonefruits, and citrus fruits entwined with creamy and nutty oak, and complexing notes of gunflint and minerals. The flavours form a tight core, and the mouthfeel is enlivened by lacy acidity, the wine flowing along a fine-textured line, leading to a crisp, lingering finish of stonefruits, citrus fruit and minerals. This is a bright, lively and refreshing Chardonnay with intense and concentrated, complex flavours of stonefruits, citrus fruits, nutty oak and minerals, on a fine-textured palate.