Australian chardonnay is as good as it has ever been and I’ve a feeling it is likely to get even better. The cooler sites are rising to the top. Mornington Peninsula, Adelaide Hills, Tasmania and Tumbarumba are leading the charge on the east coast, while Margaret River and Great Southern in the west consistently produce fine chardonnay.

So that’s the broad picture; let’s now bring the focus in closer, much closer. Let’s focus on Mornington Peninsula and then bring that focus in tighter, to the Kooyong Faultline Vineyard.

This is handpicked, single-site chardonnay at its very best - a whole bunch of pressed grapes, fermented with natural yeasts and left on its lees for 12 months. It’s a pretty hands-off process, really, but that’s the secret to letting the character of the site show its true colours.

The result is a wine layered with complex savoury notes matched with crystalline, fresh, zesty fruit that fills the palate. Flinty mineral characters lead to grapefruit and lemon zest fruit while the barrel influence brings softer nougat, cashew and toast. This is a wine to enjoy with a fine meal this week, or leave it alone for up to a decade and it will surely mature into something special.