Curly Flat Chardonnay / 2024 / 750mL

The Curly Flat Chardonnay 2024 is a cool-climate white from the Macedon Ranges in Victoria, built on citrus drive and a fine, chalky texture rather than ripeness or weight. It is restrained in the glass, with the kind of tension that makes a second sip feel inevitable.

Aromas lean towards white peach, lemon pith and grapefruit zest, with a little white blossom and a flinty, struck-match edge sitting behind the fruit. There is a nutty, savoury note that gives the nose some depth without crowding the citrus.

The palate is long and linear, with grapefruit and nashi pear running through a core of bright, natural acidity. Texture comes from a subtle creaminess across the mid-palate, though the finish stays dry, mineral and a touch saline, closing cleanly rather than lingering on fruit sweetness.

Pour it alongside roast chicken with lemon and thyme, pan-fried flathead, scallops with brown butter, or a gratin of fennel and leek. It also handles harder cheeses and a plate of charcuterie better than most whites of this style.

Drinking well from now through to around 2032, with the acid structure to reward a few years in the cellar. If you are opening a bottle young, give it twenty minutes in the glass and serve it cool rather than cold.