Hoddles Creek Estate Syberia Chardonnay 2018 CELLAR RELEASE

"In my Top 3 Chardonnay's that I've made".
Green olives, preserved lemon, aniseed, roast chicken, lime and maybe green melon rind, though distinctly non-fruity, you'd have to say. It's smooth and glossy, but flinty and firm, a pithy bitterness running through it, which cinches it in so nicely, and a finish that grips and runs very long. It's not your average Chardonnay, which is why it's so good. (96) GARY WALSH, drink 2021 - 2028+

FIVE STARS - Bright, light straw-yellow hue. The bouquet is reserved, shy and youthful, with notes of smoky sulfides, lightly-toasted nuts and a trace of honey, the palate tense and reserved, ultra-refined and poised, yet intense and long, with a core of sweet fruit and undoubted concentration. Lemon, traces of grapefruit, super-fine flavour of intensity seamless texture and long persistence. A sensational chardonnay with an assured future. (96) HUON HOOKE, drink 2020-2032

A very refined and elegant chardonnay that is so tightly wound. It has fleshed out a little in bottle and has a very seamless feel. Everything is melded. The aromas and flavors are in the lemon, grapefruit and white-peach realm with some gently minerally accents below. The palate has such intense and impressive drive and really hinges around a range of citrus flavors, from lemon to grapefruit, tangelo and kumquat. Stunning! (96) JAMES SUCKLING

GOLD - From an east-facing contoured vineyard that catches all the morning sun, and none of the scorching afternoon blaze. Perfectly ripened white stone fruit, with a quick squeeze of grapefruit juice. Whole-bunch pressed to barrel for fermentation and maturation, yet the fruit retains the limelight. Fantastic length. An outstanding success (95) JAMES HALLIDAY

Great freshness and energy and yet with real drive and fruit. Green flavours but fully ripe. Long. Creamy texture. Massive but not excessive acidity. (17.5) JANCIS ROBINSON MW