2018 Meadowbank Chardonnay, Derwent Valley

It’s safe to say the Peter Dredge has already surpassed the high expectations that greeted his arrival at Meadowbank, in 2016. This energetic and chiselled ’18 Chardonnay will only further this record. The fruit comes from 30-year-old estate vines rooted in the Derwent Valley's loose sand and sandstone overlying dark brown, coffee rock, rich in iron oxides. It's what our gum-booted winegrower friends might call “quality dirt”.

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The 2018 was handpicked and whole cluster pressed directly to eight French barriques (only one was new). The wine underwent partial malo and spent the following nine months in barrel, on lees. Bottled without fining or filtration, the new vintage is focused and chiselled, super tangy and pithy, with layers of citrus, nectarine, lemon curd and a dusting of candied nuts. The personality is driven by mouth-watering, punchy, cool-climate acidity, while the first-rate winemaking brings out some layered seduction. Great stuff.