Peter Dillon is doing wonderful things at Handpicked Wines. With all its special feels, Capella is the big-name project, but the real future is the push into buying new vineyards across the country and delivering ever-finer single vineyard wines. This Handpicked Collection Tasmania Chardonnay 2022 comes from the Collection label, which is meant to be more broadly regional. Yet the juice for this Chardonnay comes from the Auburn Road Vineyard in Tamar Valley, so it’s like a single vineyard upgrade. Interestingly, it looks riper than 12.2%, which is not a bad thing at all. There’s a broader toasty peachy fullness here that drags you in with its nectarine generosity and with a little ‘worked’ reduction to add more flavour layers. It’s a bit of a ruse, though, as the finish is fresh and taut, the real nature here livelier than you think. Clever. And a genuinely nice drink, too.
- Best drinking: nowish, no hurry
- Score (out of 20): 18
- Score (out of 100): 93
- Alcohol %: 12.2
- RRP (in $AUD): 60
- Winery website: https://handpickedwines.com.au/
- Would I buy it?: Let’s share a bottle.
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