Giant Steps Applejack Vineyard Chardonnay 2022

Directly fed to the barrel by gravity and fermented on gross lees in 500L French oak puncheons. 10 months maturation in 15% new french oak and 85% in older oak. Scented white lilies, geranium and apple blossom. Lemon skin, white nectarine and custard apple. A flicker of flint, blue stone and grated ginger. Hemp seed, cashew and oyster mushroom. This is all about the powerful fruit weight supported by generous oak and a tightly compacted flavour palate. There is a lot of Chardonnay for your money here. Acidity is elevated and you can almost feel the fracture of crushed shale and basalt. This is a very impressive Applejack vintage and I’m enamoured. Drink now and put some aside to drink over the next 8-10 years. Drink with Mudcrab linguine. Score – 98. (Shanteh Wale, winepilot.com, undated)