2024 Coulter Rathmine Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills

Stewed peach, peach blossom, and slithered almond lead the aromas before air reveals preserved lemon, homemade lemonade, a hint of praline and a glimmer of dried apricot. The palate has an attractively bitter tone with peach and yellow apple at the fore followed by lemon peel, homemade lemonade again and grilled nuts. There’s some gentle phenolic grip to the sides providing another textural element and a lovely cut of preserved lemon acidity to wash down the finish. I like this. It delivers on interest and flavour with a good frame of textural structure. Nicely done.

92 points Tom Kline for Wine Pilot, April 2025

The grapes for this Chardonnay were grown in the Rathmine vineyard in Echunga. Whole bunch pressed straight into French oak with full solids, barrel fermented and lees stirred with minimal sulphur throughout.

About the producer

Chris Coulter established Coulter Wines in 2015 as aside project to his day job at Australian Vintage Limited, with the lo-fi winemaking for Coulter-branded wines representing almost the opposite of the latter.