Ringbolt is the Margaret River brand for the Hill Smith family empire, and the Cabernet always bags lots of gold medals. It’s a bargain, and consistently so. This is the first-ever Ringbolt Chardonnay release to round out the range and it’s all Wilyabrup fruit, with ambitions set high. The only thing standing in the path of success is raw youth – it’s too young. The winemaking logistics are serious too, with fruit picked and processed in WA and then trucked across the Nullarbor as juice to be made in South Australia. There’s a flourish of golden Sao flavour here, white peach juice, and golden richness before it closes down in the bottle to simple tautness. Indeed I wrote it off as shallow Chardonnay, but a closer look reveals there are layers – it’s ripe, the oak feels quality, and the acid is firm enough, but all the components don’t fit together yet. Come back later.

THE VERDICT

• Best drinking: 2025 onwards, at least
• Score (out of 20):
• Score (out of 100): 91
• Alcohol %: 13.6
• RRP (in $AUD): 36
• Winery website: https://www.smithswinestore.com.au/chardonnay-2023/RINCHA236.html
• Would I buy it?: a glass now, more later