Yering Station, Yarra Valley (Victoria, Australia) Chardonnay 2021

 This is simply sensational Chardonnay, and considered against other options in its price range, I have only tasted one other wine as complex and exciting during the past few years (namely, the “Estate” release from Kumeu River from New Zealand, made by the brilliant Michael Brajkovich MW).  I’ve tasted a few exceptional “Village” bottlings of Chablis that were a full click down, but my point should be clear:  This is a world leader, and far better than most Chardonnay releases from anywhere — even at twice the price.  It shows a medium-bodied profile with no excess weight but exceptional flavor impact in relation to its physical density, with wonderful flavors akin to citrus fruits (sharp lemons but also riper tangerines) and green apples but also some softer fruit notes more like baked apples.  The aromas and flavors gain a lot of complexity from very well-measured oak spice, but there’s no hint of vanilla or butterscotch or anything that sets off those who don’t like oaky Chardonnays.  Absolutely delicious now, this will develop additional complexity for at least five years without losing its freshness. By this, I mean that it has so much energetic acidity that it will not turn dull as it develops tertiary characters from additional time in bottle.  I’m sure I seem like I’m getting carried away, but I’ve tasted this four times since January, during which time I’ve also tasted about 600 other Chardonnays from other producers and regions, so I know what I’m talking about.