Part of the “High Altitude Hillbilly” range from McLaren Vale legends d’Arenberg, and the label firmly with a tongue in a Burgundian cheek. All the range of the Hillbillies are represented on the decoration. Nice touch.

d’Arenberg The Lucky Lizard Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, 2014

Ripe peach and pineapple fruit aromas up front. Complexity with nut butter smear, smoky sulfides and subtle old oak. Partial wild ferment but no malolactic fermentation. Pulpy and fleshy fruit saddlebags before a core of quite tight, firm acidity. There’s a tang and bounce to the wine that makes it quite attractive. Sometimes I wonder about the sheer number of d’Arenberg labels and which ones should survive, but absolutely this one deserves to stay, if not only for Tash Stoodley’s personal consumption.

RRP: $25

Alc: 13.3%

Wine sample courtesy of d’Arenberg