When you’ve got access to fruit right across South Australia, the picking spectrum is wide: in this case from February to April. Made by wild ferment and left to mature on less until the final blending.  Nat Cleghorn is the winemaker.

Yalumba, The Y Series, Chardonnay, South Australia, 2017

Pale straw with gold highlights of colour. Quality nose of cumquat and lemony citrus matched with riper stonefruit characters, almond nougat and some cumin like spice. Generous mouthfeel but doesn’t give way to being plump. Lemon, lime fruit and peach edges with enough natural acidity that keeps things fresh. It doesn’t go on and on, but the balanced interplay between fruit and winemaking sees this slide into the placings for the value stakes.

RRP: $15
Alc: 13%
Rating: 16.25/20

Wine sample courtesy of Yalumba