Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay 2023

SPECIAL VALUE - From 500m above sea level. You can smell the flint and struck match from a foot away from the glass. It's of a distinct style, all minerally, chalky-puckering and racy, but there's enough depth of flavour to titillate and please all comers, while being distinctly savoury and complex. Fantastic. Almond friand amongst green apple, grapefruit, mineral water, lime with umami-like characters rolling through. Touches of parmesan and sea spray also here. You could keep the descriptors rolling. Utterly fantastic wine, where flavour is paramount, texture is stellar, length is outstanding; it's refreshing, and the wine is just straight-up delicious. Kudos. (97) MIKE BENNIE, Halliday Wine Companion

Light, bright yellow hue with a gentle trace of smoky reduction on the lemony bouquet, the palate delicate and refined with lemon and grapefruit, malt biscuit, a kiss of fresh oak, and an extended aftertaste of lovely balance.  (95) HUON HOOKE, The Real Review

Its impeccable self. Flavours of pear and quartz, nectarine and cedar, a gentle floral element, a subtle lactose note. It feels powerful, taut and refined at once. This is not a smack-you-in-the-eyes chardonnay and yet its quality and intensity are clear. As with many of the finest Australian chardonnays now, this will need a year or three from release to start showing its best self. (93+)CAMPBELL MATTINSON

Wonderfully constructed, showing polished aromas of lime curd, lemon balm, orange blossoms and gun smoke on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with precise acidity and a generous mouthfeel, giving notes of fresh pineapple, white peaches, lime curd and shortbread. Drink or hold. Screw cap. (95) JAMES SUCKLING