2021 Meadowbank Chardonnay, Derwent Valley

Meadowbank’s Chardonnay comes off the property’s oldest vines, now well into their thirties. Peter Dredge describes the vineyard as a “beautiful little spot”, with loose sand and sandstone, overlaying dark brown coffee rock, rich in iron oxides. Dredge tells us these vines are hitting their straps, and in the shed he tries to keep his hands off the fruit as much as possible. The 2021 was picked twice—the first parcel for freshness and the second for structure—and whole-bunch pressed directly to French puncheons (just 10% new). Fermented wild, the wine underwent partial malo, while 20% of the barrels remained un-sulphured to take on oxygen-derived complexity. The wine spent the following nine months in barrel on lees before it was bottled without fining or filtration.
 
From a vintage that most Tasmanian growers believe to be one of the island’s finest, it stands to reason that this is a knock-out. Driven by mouth-watering acidity, layers of crystalline orchard fruits, apple blossom and fresh citrus flow across the palate, which is balanced by chalky texture and citrus-driven tension. The finish is silky, long and pristine.