2022 Mystery Adelaide Hills Chardonnay Deal No. 5543

90 POINTS

Tony Love - Winepilot

The naming of this wine has deep history with the Golding family’s Adelaide Produce Market trader background, dealing in a range of produce from the Adelaide Hills. The produce now is all about the wine trade, here touting a value-end Chardonnay, the regional hero white variety attracting plenty of attention these days. This is more towards the yellow stone fruit spectrum end, with a definite Middle Eastern spice note, citrus elements suggesting pink grapefruit at the centre of the palate, with a creaminess in the texturals to confirm the wine’s richer feels, while oak only raises its head in spicier finishing notes. Value for those into a richer-style Chardonnay.

Mike Bennie - Halliday Wine Companion

The wine is matured in older French oak barrels. It is soft and supple, a buttery kind of richer, old-school/good-school style, though there's a sense of missing vitality and freshness in the generosity. Supple, ripe apple flavours, some sizzled butter, faint popcorn and toast elements to taste, with rich, ripe stone fruits, butter and toast in the bouquet. There's a sense of easy drinking in its monochromatic rendering. OK.