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    REVIEWS + ACCOLADES

    98 Points

    Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2020
    Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2020
    Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2020
    Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2020

    Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2020

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    $137.00
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      2020 was a year we won’t soon forget—a challenging time that tested us all. Reflecting on the adversity of the bushfires and the impacts of Covid, Brian Croser comments, “How something so good could emerge from such a traumatic vintage is akin to a miracle.” With Ray Jordan awarding it an impressive 98 points, he notes that the “2020 Tapanappa Chardonnays are something of a revelation.” This small release is nothing short of miraculous—not only for its existence but for its exceptional quality. Limited quantities make it a rare find—blink and you'll miss it!

      The 2020 Tiers Vineyard yielded just one-third of its normal crop on April 1st. The delayed ripening of this very small crop, nurtured in perfect cool, dry, and sunny conditions, has resulted in a truly special Chardonnay, reflecting the unique and distinguished terroir of the Tiers Vineyard. The aroma is immediately intense, fresh, and appealing, dominated by primary fruit—sweet, ripe nectarine—along with hints of yeast, cashew, and oak spice. The bouquet entices the palate, amplifying the intensity, freshness, and budding complexity of the wine. The mouth is filled with sweet fruit and texture, culminating in a precise edge of acidity and a subtle grapefruit finish that defines the wine.

      Hand-harvested from the Tiers Vineyard’s old block (planted in 1979), the Chardonnay grapes were chilled in trays to 2°C. The cold fruit was then gently pressed, with the juice pumped to tank before being gravitated into French oak barriques (one-third new). The fermentation lasted for two months in the cool autumn conditions. The wine was barrel-aged on full lees until February 2021, when it was clear racked from the barriques and bottled.

      2020 was a year we won’t soon forget—a challenging time that tested us all. Reflecting on the adversity of the bushfires and the impacts of Covid, Brian Croser comments, “How something so good could emerge from such a traumatic vintage is akin to a miracle.” With Ray Jordan awarding it an impressive 98 points, he notes that the “2020 Tapanappa Chardonnays are something of a revelation.” This small release is nothing short of miraculous—not only for its existence but for its exceptional quality. Limited quantities make it a rare find—blink and you'll miss it!

      The 2020 Tiers Vineyard yielded just one-third of its normal crop on April 1st. The delayed ripening of this very small crop, nurtured in perfect cool, dry, and sunny conditions, has resulted in a truly special Chardonnay, reflecting the unique and distinguished terroir of the Tiers Vineyard. The aroma is immediately intense, fresh, and appealing, dominated by primary fruit—sweet, ripe nectarine—along with hints of yeast, cashew, and oak spice. The bouquet entices the palate, amplifying the intensity, freshness, and budding complexity of the wine. The mouth is filled with sweet fruit and texture, culminating in a precise edge of acidity and a subtle grapefruit finish that defines the wine.

      Hand-harvested from the Tiers Vineyard’s old block (planted in 1979), the Chardonnay grapes were chilled in trays to 2°C. The cold fruit was then gently pressed, with the juice pumped to tank before being gravitated into French oak barriques (one-third new). The fermentation lasted for two months in the cool autumn conditions. The wine was barrel-aged on full lees until February 2021, when it was clear racked from the barriques and bottled.

      Maker

      Tapanappa

      Varietal

      Chardonnay

      Country

      Australia

      Region

      Piccadilly Valley, South Australia

      Vintage

      2020

      ABV

      13.4%

      Bottle size

      750ml

      Trusted by the professionals

      Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2020

      Winemaker Brian Croser is pretty excited about this wine, and a quick sniff and extended sip, and I think I know why. Like the rest of Australia, it was a very small crop resulting in a wine of deep fruit concentration. Once again, the wine spent an extended time until February this year on full lees, allowing pick up of further complexity and textural mouth feel. The striking feature is the palate power and length. I have tasted many of these wines but I don’t think I have tasted better.

      — Ray Jordan, 98 Points

      This parcel has performed so impressively in 2020, with trademark white-peach aromas and a subtle lemon-cream edge. The oak is so well integrated here. There’s impressive seamlessness on the palate with citrus-nuanced stone fruit carrying so long and fresh. Thrilling chardonnay. Drink or hold.

      — James Suckling, 97 Points

      A quiet elegance lives here. Don’t overchill this wine or you will lose that inner beauty. The scent of white flowers mixes with fine-edged fruit qualities of grapefruit, Delicious apple, mandarin skin and dusty lemon. Citrus plays out on the palate with a grapefruit pithiness before moving into a warm, textural glow. Oak is nicely integrated. It’s complex and worthy of extra time in the cellar. If you can, give it that time.

      — Jeni Port, 96 points

      The chardonnay vines on the Tiers Vineyard in the Piccadilly Valley are all now well over 30 years old though some were planted in the late 1970s. This is an intense glide of beautiful chardonnay flavour. It had me hooked straight up. There’s an amount of struck match character here too, for the record, though the pear, white peach, grapefruit and citrus characters are where the main action is at. This is delicious. This is powerful. This is lengthy. It feels a it wild, in a good way, but it simultaneously feels pure, somehow. It’s terrific.

      — Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, 95 points

      Tapanappa

      Tapanappa is the culmination of a journey that has helped shape the modern Adelaide Hills wine scene. It was founded by Brian Croser, the visionary behind Petaluma, which he established as one of the region’s first and finest wineries. After Petaluma was taken over by corporate giant Lion Nathan in 2001, the Crosers retained ownership of their family home and the iconic Tiers Chardonnay vineyard at the original site.

      In 2002, Brian and his wife Ann established Tapanappa in partnership with the Cazes family of Château Lynch-Bages (Bordeaux) and Bollinger Champagne. The French partners remained with Tapanappa until 2014, when the Crosers regained full control of the Piccadilly Valley winery and cellars. With the 2015 vintage, they revitalized the winery, marking the beginning of a new chapter for Tapanappa.

      Today, Tapanappa operates as a family-run business, with Brian’s daughter Lucy and her husband Xavier Bizot managing the winery. Their son-in-law Sam Barlow oversees winemaking. Tapanappa’s wines are distributed across Australia by Terroir Selections, a company co-founded by Lucy and Xavier.

      Tasting notes

      NOSE
      White Peach, Subtle Lemon-Cream, White Flowers

      The scent of white flowers mixes with fine-edged fruit qualities of grapefruit, Delicious apple, mandarin skin and dusty lemon.

      PALATE
      Seamless, Citrus-Stone Fruit,Grapefruit Pith

      Citrus plays out on the palate with a grapefruit pithiness before moving into a warm, textural glow. Oak is nicely integrated.

      FINISH
      Integrated Oak, Textural, Powerful

      The striking feature is the palate power and length. Feels a bit wild, in a good way, but it simultaneously feels pure.
      Rockford PW Mayflower Cane Cut Semillon 2018 375ml - Kent Street Cellars