Passel Estate chardonnay 2023

This is a first-rate chardonnay from this excellent season, and it may well be the best yet from Passel Estate. On the nose, you open with what is fairly typical of the region, with its strong grapefruit, cut pear, and lime nuances, then a nutty, spicy character adding immediate aromatic complexity. It's a textured wine with good weight in the middle palate, great balance and poise, but there’s a brightness and minerally energy that sustains a very long finish. The palate is where this wine really hits its straps because there’s a fine touch of subtle French oak, which you can pick up initially on the nose, but then it delivers on the palate.