Toolangi F Block Chardonnay

It’s winemaker Kaspar Hermann’s favourite child, and it shows. Grown in a tiny, rocky corner of the Dixon’s Creek vineyard, F Block sits high, cool, and quietly tucked beneath the Toolangi State Forest. Low-yielding Gingin vines deliver powerful, spicy fruit with a thick-skinned attitude and a chalky soul. Kaspar prunes it himself, presses whole bunches, ferments with full solids, and lets the wine rest on lees in barrel with just enough malo to round the edges. The result? A gorgeously aromatic wine packed with floral-laced stone fruit, flickers of flint, and a palate that hums with citrus, spice and mineral drive. Big energy, fine tailoring.

94 points- Mike Bennie