In the glass: Fine straw with a faint hint of green.On the nose: A super-ripe mix of nectarine, melon and fig with fine oak spice. On the palate: A very smartly made expression of Chardonnay thats super-ripe, fresh and crisp throughout with velvety soft texture and deluxe oak harmony.

Josef Chromy Chardonnay is a classic cool climate style, showing notes of melon and granny smith apple, some mid palate creamy richness and taut linear acidity. Fruit is sourced from Josef Chromys estate vineyards in Relbia in Northern Tasmania. The Chardonnay is gently pressed to stainless steel for a cool ferment with full solids retained for fermentation to give richness and texture.

The grapes used to craft this wine were hand-picked in late January from Majors Lane Vineyard. De Iuliis Single Vineyard Semillon is a pale lime green-hued wine with an alcohol level of 10.5%. The lifted nose exudes floral and zesty citrus aromas while the palate is crisp and clean with citrus flavours, balanced by an innate mineral acidity that leads to a lingering finale. With a cellaring potential till 2021, this vibrant wine is a great match for seafood and roasted chicken with orange and thyme.

Floral fruit in youth, moving towards biscuity characters with age. A generally softer bodied palate with smoother acids than the Vat 1 and Belford Semillons.

A very appealing yellow/green tinted colour. Tropical aromas with plenty of primary fruit as a young wine. Minimal oak influence, of which adds a slight bran meal note. More tropical fruit on the palate, balanced by bright zesty acidity. An excellent and flavoursome Chardonnay.

A different expression altogether sans the benefit of bottle age. Youthful. Zesty. Punchy. As filigreed of talcy acidity and fine boned as the rest of the crew, this is guava, lemon grass and sherbet, teeming along a line of candied citrus chew. The wine will blossom in the medium term, but will not shy away from some aged furrows and complexity. Alcohol: 12%. Closure: screwcap. Date tasted: Jan 2018. Drink by: 2029. Price: $35. Rating: 94/100.

The 2019 Silkman Estate Semillon is clean fresh and modern. The nose is full of lemon, pink grapefruit and fresh cut hay. The palate reflects the nose with citrus and a touch of salinity. This wine will age well and pairs perfectly with a roast chicken.

2022 was a wet season in the Hunter region with over 180 millimetres ofrain in February alone. Mild weather and cooler conditions delayed harvestuntil the sun and welcoming winds dried out the vineyards. All was not lost,as the longer season introduced excellent flavours, natural acids and complexity into the wines. This single vineyard wine from Cael’s Gate was created from vines plantedin 1978. Elegant and restrained, this wine shows lemon peel, lime zest andoatmeal nuances. It is concentrated and finely flowing in the mouthdelivering delicate fruit intensity with linear mouth feel and racy acidity.Firmly structured and focused with an impressively long sleek finish.