Mount Macleod Chardonnay 2023

Sometimes you have to call it like you see it: Mount MacLeod should be one of Australia’s go-to value producers. After all, this a dedicated and eco-minded grower in the truest sense and one arguably crafting the best-value organically managed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Victoria. Macleod’s sloping, south-facing Chardonnay block sits on the classic well-drained, red ferrosol of South Gippsland. This parcel was first to gain organic certification in 2008, the vines are dry-grown and yields—which might easily blow out in the fertile Leongatha soils—are strictly controlled, averaging a bizarrely low (given the pricing) 1.5 tonnes per acre.

In the shed, the guiding principle for Mark Matthews is to have confidence in the fruit and allow it to sit at the heart of all decision-making. Consequently, his pared-back winemaking regime, encompassing wild ferments and only neutral oak, is designed to deliver his subtle message with as much integrity as possible. This year, 5% of the fruit was fermented on skins to add texture and phenolic tension to the blend, while the balance was pressed as whole bunches. The wine was divided between concrete vessels with no malolactic conversion, and 15+-year-old barriques with partial malolactic conversion. Both batches rested on lees with no stirring for nine months. With a touch more grip than last year, this is another terrific value from one of Victoria’s most green-fingered growers. Expect punchy and vibrant citrus flavours, mouth-watering freshness and an impressively long close.