864 Funder & Diamond Vineyard Chardonnay, Oakridge Wines 2016

Very impressively struck purity and power here in this top-flight Oakridge chardonnay. It has a nose of flinty grapefruit, white peaches, lemon pith and wet stony minerals. The palate carries mouthwatering acidity, which is cast alongside powerfully fleshy fruit. Long, chiseled and deeply intense. There is richness building up at the finish. Drink or hold.

1100 cases were made of the 864 Chardonnay in 2016, which eschews new oak spice in favour of pristine fruit and bright primary character. The colour is pale, with a pithy coolness to the fruit that offers apple, citrus and hints of struck flint. The palate is zingy with acidity, giving the fruit tension and a pure citrus profile. The backbone is given flesh with a lightly creamy texture, but the focus is purity and freshness. This makes the core dense and mineral, which continues through to the long finish that shows just a slight hint of spiciness.