2023 Woodlawn Woodlawn Park Vineyard Chardonnay

94 points
"Quite a bit of power and depth here but requisite freshness counter... Plenty of charm and vibrancy, though chardonnay to sink one’s teeth into, a bit more."
- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

The debut Chardonnay from Ricky Evans' home block at Swan Bay, the same estate as the Woodlawn Park Vineyard Pinot Noir. Planted to Bernard clones 95 and 76 on free-draining aeolian sands, north-facing above the river, it's a generous site that delivers flavoursome, expressive fruit compared to the cooler character of the other Woodlawn Chardonnays.

The winemaking is layered: multiple passes through the vineyard, with whole-bunch pressed and destemmed/lightly crushed components kept separate to achieve different solid levels. Wild fermented in a mix of French and Austrian puncheons and barriques, with some MLF, then 11 months on full lees in barrel followed by four months in tank before bottling.

The result has more fruit weight and generosity than the Three Wishes Chardonnay, with the lees work adding texture and a savoury, pastry-dough complexity to the mid-palate. It's a fuller style, but with enough tension and line through the finish to keep it honest. The vines are young and the wine feels like it has more to give with time.