Michael Hall Wines Sang de Pigeon Chardonnay / 2025 / 750mL

The Michael Hall Sang de Pigeon Chardonnay 2025 is a bright, finely drawn white from the Piccadilly Valley in the Adelaide Hills, built around citrus and white stone fruit rather than richness. It is a Chardonnay that leads with tension and clarity, the kind of wine that rewards a decent glass and a bit of air.

Grapefruit pith, white peach and lemon curd come first, with a chalky, almost flinty edge sitting underneath and a hint of pear skin as the wine warms in the glass.

The palate is lean in the best sense, with a fine acid line running from front to back and a gentle creaminess filling out the middle. Texture comes from grip rather than weight, and the finish is long, dry and faintly saline, with the citrus lingering well after the fruit has faded.

Pour it with grilled whiting, scallops in brown butter, a chicken and tarragon pie, or a wedge of young Comté. It also handles roast pork belly and apple better than most whites of this weight.

Drink from now through to around 2031. The Piccadilly Valley fruit gives it the acidity to develop nougat and toasted hazelnut characters over the next few years, though there is plenty of pleasure in it young and cold.