2021 Kooyong Faultline Chardonnay, Mornington Peninsula

This superb Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay is made from fruit which hails from a 0.5 hectare section of the Faultline vineyard. This vineyard has less ironstone and more clay than the Farrago. Whole bunches are pressed into French oak barriques, 20% new, with native yeasts. After fermentation, the wine spends 11 months on lees with a single racking. A deep yellow shade, the nose gives us notes of peaches, beeswax, ginger, cashews and more with more notes of lemon butter and nougat. This is richer and riper in style than the Farrago and provides a gorgeous crème brulée texture. With fine acidity, excellent focus and very good length, it will offer thoroughly enjoyable drinking over the next eight to twelve years. Love it.

96 points Ken Gargett, Wine Pilot

Faultline has a lot of detail, but in a more restrained package than its sibling Farrago. There’s finesse across the tight palate with fresh lemon and grapefruit and some flinty sulphides. Plus the perfect amount of nutty lees to expand the palate a tad. Moreish, savoury, complex and delicious.

96 points Special Value Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion

Kooyong has been one of the Mornington Peninsula’s benchmark names since Giorgio and Dianne Gjergja established the estate in the late 1990s at Tuerong, on the cooler northern end of the peninsula. The vineyards were planted with a strong focus on matching individual sites to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and the wines quickly earned a following for their restraint and regional character. Glen Hayley now leads the winemaking, continuing that site focused approach.

Faultline is one of Kooyong’s single vineyard Chardonnays, named for the geological fault running through the vineyard. The site’s sedimentary soils and cool maritime conditions give Chardonnay plenty of natural acidity, while the 2021 vintage was particularly well suited to a finely structured style. With several years of bottle age now behind it, the wine is moving beyond its youthful citrus and flintiness into something more layered and savoury.

Light gold with white peach, nectarine and preserved lemon at first, followed by grapefruit and citrus blossom. Hazelnut, almond meal and a little sourdough emerge with air, along with struck flint and gentle smoky notes. The palate has lovely tension, with stone fruit and lemon curd filling the middle before fresh acidity pulls everything back into line. Toasted nuts, citrus peel and a cool mineral note stretch through the finish.

Roast scallops with cauliflower and brown butter have the richness to meet its developing nutty character without overwhelming the wine. Grilled marron, crab ravioli, roast snapper or a leek and Gruyère tart are equally tempting. Cellaring: Drink now to 2035.