2022 Ashton Hills Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills

Pale straw, bright in the glass. Fragrant aromas of white lily, citrus pith, nectarine, wet stone and nuts. Fine and focused on the palate: there’s a very pure drive of citrus and stone fruit along with a nutty minerality. The acidity has real ping and zip and there’s a nice touch of phenolics on the finish bringing texture and mouth-feel 08 JUL 2023 Drink 2023–2028

92 points AB therealreview.com

When Stephen George first planted his three-hectare Ashton Hills vineyard in the early 1980s, 12 different varieties went into the ground. Years of trials led to the removal of most of these vines and today only Pinot Noir and Riesling remain. This Chardonnay is therefore not off the Estate vines, although the source block isn’t far away. This limited release comes from a small parcel of fruit from the Chapel Valley Block, adjacent the old Piccadilly cemetery, just a short hike down the road.

Hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed direct to puncheon and barrique (with maximum solids), wild fermentation and then the wine is kept on lees for as long as possible to build texture and complexity. The malo is spontaneous (40% completed this year) and there was a little bâtonnage prior to bottling, which occurred without filtration. 

A limited release chardonnay from two selected Piccadilly Valley sites. Ferment was sparked by indigenous yeasts and the wine aged in Burgundian oak (predominantly puncheons) both old and new for eight months.