Scorpo Eocene Chardonnay 2021

Ah, this Chardonnay is like a beach holiday for your taste buds – minus the sunburn. Hailing from the Mornington Peninsula, it’s all sea breeze elegance and mineral charm. The fruit is hand-picked (because it’s fussy like that), then gently whole-bunch pressed like it’s being tucked into bed. It’s fermented in French oak with wild yeasts – the kind that throw the best parties – giving it a creamy texture with a zesty twist. Think citrus, white peach and just a flirt of flinty goodness. It’s refined, but not uptight – the kind of Chardonnay that makes you raise an eyebrow and go, “Ooh, hello.”

Critics thoughts -  The Eocene Epoch is a geological age that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago, which is about as old as I feel at present, aside from having no grey hair, which was not a feature of that age anyway.

Plenty of sulphide and struck match stuff here, alongside Japanese ginger, chamomile, and mixed citrus. It’s tight and hungry, like a Mesonyx on the hunt, with brown pear drizzled with lime, all chalky and flinty, with a cool spicy and zesty tang to close. You have to like them a bit wild and wooly, but excellent wine of bony charm and finesse.  95 Points Gary Walsh The Wine Front