Ashton Hills Reserve Chardonnay 2024

96 POINTS

Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2024 Reserve Chardonnay leads with white peach and curry leaf, sweet tobacco, white pepper and torched pear (à la tarte tatin). The reduction here, although pronounced, is balanced and opens up through the finish, allowing the fruit and site to express with ease. This is powerful and has levity, with saline acidity and a classy display of phenolics that shape the finish. This is a really good wine. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

96 POINTS

Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

Grown on two Adelaide Hills vineyards, 60% Bowhouse and 40% Woods Hill. This is straw-yellow in colour and rich in flavour. It’s an excellent chardonnay. It’s highlighted by notes of meal and struck match, but it’s the power of white peach, snow pea, gunmetal and grilled nectarine flavour that really has you sitting straighter in your chair. Complexity is a shoe-in, so too power, so too length. It’s made in the flinty style, for certain, but in that context it’s outstanding.

95 POINTS

Mike Bennie - Halliday Wine Companion

The wine is designated as 'Reserve' by virtue of three barrels (blended) from three separate vineyards in Piccadilly Valley. Wild fermentation is employed. A mix of old and new French oak barrels for maturation. It's got quite a bit of power and muscularity, smoky, sweet spices over lime, just-ripe nectarine, just-ripe pineapple, crystallised ginger, preserved lemon and cinnamon-crusted apple pie. A cavalcade of character, well meshed, harmonious and with vivid drinkability. It's complex, layered and intense; more importantly, it feels high quality in all its elements. Serious chardonnay.

95 POINTS

Angus Hughson - Vinous

The sophisticated 2024 Chardonnay Reserve instantly appeals with a highly complex opening of grapefruit, dried florals, cantaloupe and a strong backbone of oak and smoky lees. Creamy textures give way to a chalky acidity that tightens up the finish. The 2024 is very well pitched to enjoy over the medium term.