If you cast your mind back to the very beginning of Covid last year you might think the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse got a head start when fires ravaged many vineyards in the Eastern States. But their work was only beginning
With extreme heat, fire, smoke and rain, you could assume that as vintages go this was close to Hell. But one thing I have learnt in the years of this wine writing caper, is that it can be a serious mistake to make rash judgments on vintage based on initial perceptions. Dig deeper and more is revealed.
And such was the case for 2020. Sure, it was tough, dire a disaster for some, but not everyone suffered. I was reminded of this recently when a cluster of the latest releases from wine legend Brian Croser’s Tapanappa from Piccadilly Valley near Adelaide.
The three chardonnays I have featured from Piccadilly are all quite different but with a strong affinity to the distinctive terroir of this region. I prepared for disappointment. How wrong.
Even Croser said in a covering letter to me referencing the bushfires and Covid, said: “How something so good could emerge from such a traumatic vintage is akin to a miracle.”
Once the first went and things got back to normal, it was a very good vintage, provided you still had vines and smoke hadn’t tainted the crops.
In fact, to take the Four Horseman analogy a little further – these Tapanappa chardonnays are something of a revelation.
Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard chardonnay 2020 ($110)
Winemaker Brian Croser is pretty excited about this wine, and a quick sniff and extended sip, and I think I know why. Like the rest of Australia, it was a very small crop resulting in a wine of deep fruit concentration. Once again, the wine spent an extended time until February this year on full lees, allowing pick up of further complexity and textural mouth feel. The striking feature is the palate power and length. I have tasted many of these wines but I don’t think I have tasted better. 98/100
(Best drinking: Now to 2033)
Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard 1.5m chardonnay 2020 ($55)
This vineyard was close planted along French lines with French clones and it really does have an impact on the wine. The extended time on full lees until February 2021 had also played a part in building palate texture and complexity. Notes of nougat and cashew with a creamy light butterscotch and peachy nectarine character are so engaging. Has a dry slightly savoury focused finish. 95/100
(Best drinking: Now to 2030)
Tapanappa Piccadilly chardonnay 2020 ($39)
Tough vintage, to say the least, and yet out if it you get something as beautiful as this classy chardonnay from the Piccadilly Valley. Lot of white peach and nectarine characters with a pristine purity. Crisp fine minerally acidity and lovely oak treatment come into play to carry the palate to an effortlessly long finish. Such fine focus and beautiful shape. Mighty good chardonnay. 94/100
Content thanks to the West Australian – Weekend Magazine – Lifestyle
