2013 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay

The 2013 Chardonnay was raised in 33% new French oak and second- and third-fill with around 70% going through malolactic fermentation. There was a high malic acid at time of picking and this has retained the freshness in bottle. It has quite a rich nose, richer than I was expecting with scents of honeysuckle, white peach and fresh pear notes. The palate is very well-balanced and more linear than the nose augurs. There is good depth here: notes of dried honey, nutmeg and pear, later quince entering in the closing stages. Quite mercurial in the glass, this Chardonnay is an intriguing prospect given a couple of years in bottle.