2024 Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay

Rich, spicy and textural, this a remarkably powerful yet refined Chardonnay that shows a Burgundy like finesse and complexity.

Located in the Piccadilly Valley within the Adelaide Hills region, Brian Croser’s Tiers vineyard was planted in 1979 making it the first in the region. It is perfectly suited to Chardonnay being a closely matched homo-clime of Burgundy, especially the southern end of the Cotes de Beaune where the great wines of Montrachet and Meursault are grown. Fermented in French oak barriques (one third new) the wine was then aged on full lees until November 2024.
Brilliant very pale straw colour with highlights of green around the edges and a watery hue. Elevated white peach, pear and nectarine aromas flood the nostrils complimented by some subtle dried honey, biscuity nougat, cashew and infusions of gun flint. Rich, spicy and textural, the medium to full bodied palate is flush with white peach, pear and nectarine fruits which show terrific intensity and purity. Fresh, chalky acidity lends focus. Dried honey, nougat, subtle crème brulee, wet stone and gun flint elements unwind across the back half. Remarkably powerful yet refined it finishes exceptionally long with a Burgundy like finesse and complexity.
Drink over the next 6-8 years.
Alc. 14.1%

Other Reviews…..
The 2024 Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay always ratchets up the fruit power and intensity from all other Chardonnays, both at Tapanappa and in the Adelaide Hills region at large. This usually gives us a thundering display of concentration and phenolic drive, and this 2024 iteration is no exception to that long-established rule. There are notes of crushed and salted nuts, saffron, Golden Delicious apples, nougat and oyster shell/shale with a scintillating acid line. I still quietly wonder to myself if we are seeing these wines too young. However, it then becomes up to us to exercise some restraint when selecting our drinking windows. For me, this wine will be at its best a couple of years from now and into the long future ahead. May we all age so gracefully. 14.1% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink 2027-2037.
96 Points
Erin Larkin – Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate

This has to rank up there with the best of the Tiers Vineyard Chardies yet released. It was an ever so slightly warmer vintage than the previous and this is reflected in the depth and fruit concentration expressed with relative opulence. Lots of nectarine, and cashew with a spicy pear edge to it. The fine chalky acid really holds the tension ensuring a defined and exceptionally long finish. A dry savoury and tight subtle astringency on the finish provides the final flourish to an outstanding wine. Drink 2025-2037.
97 Points
Ray Jordan – WinePilot.com