Recognition

Light-mid yellow; oatmeal and smoky oak aromas, the wine is tensioned and focused with precise lemon and chalky mineral flavours that extend tight, lean and long on the palate. Lipsmacking dry, crisp, refreshing finish. 91 Points

After a succession of quite cool vintages in the Piccadilly Valley, the 2025 vintage turned everything around, being the warmest, the driest and the earliest vintage on record. The result is a wine that displays slightly more richness and generosity than previous vintages. But interestingly, it has retained a nice acidity, which keeps its lively crispness.

Medium-light straw hue. Straw bale, grapefruit flesh, smoked chicken meatiness, tonic, peanut oil, lemon barley before richer and riper stone fruit, quince, white choc/coconut ball, balsa wood, dried fig and café latte creaminess. A wine of power and presence. Texturally sublime, with the winemaking supplying a fine drivetrain for the long, persistent flavours. The vintage showing its hand with bigger than usual ripe peach fruit while retaining an unexpected sharp and long thrust of potent acidity.

The 2025 vintage in the Adelaide Hills is the warmest, driest and earliest vintage on record, certainly providing a change and a challenge for the winemakers. That said, early indications are that it will provide excellent wines, although in its own image. The vines used here are in excess of forty years of age, making them some of the oldest in the region.

There’s flavour in the acidity and pear, grapefruit, lemonade and white peach flavours are delivered generously throughout. There’s no mistaking the variety; this is chardonnay to its core. There’s a minerally edge to the back half of the wine and an impression of saltbush or seaspray too. There is some warmth but flavour, throughout and on the finish,

Made by veteran wine industry guru Brian Croser from fruit grown in a 40+-years-old vineyard in the Adelaide Hills, this is a Chardonnay that neatly straddles power and precision. From a warm, dry year, the grapes were picked earlier than ever before but the fruit miraculously retained high acid levels. The end result is a riper,