Toolangi Chardonnay 2024

Toolangi Vineyard sits quietly in the upper Yarra Valley, edged by the Toolangi State Forest, where cool air and fine clay loam soils shape some of the region's most compelling Chardonnay. Kaspar Hermann farms low yielding clones of Gingin, Mendoza and I10V3, with vines now averaging 23 years old. The 2024 vintage is a cracker. It opens with white nectarine, lemon zest and a faint struck match flintiness, then moves into a tighter, more mineral palate with a long, chalky finish.

This is a leaner, more structural style of Yarra Chardonnay. Fermented on lees in French oak (10 per cent new) and matured for nine months, it has the bones to age but drinks beautifully now. Pair it with grilled flathead or a simple roast chicken with lemon and thyme.