The 2023 wines of J&S Fielke

If there’s a producer that’s really jumped out at me in recent times it’s J&S Fielke out of the Adelaide Hills. I was head-over-heels for the 2022 J&S Fielke Chardonnay, which was the full biscuit as far as I was concerned. In fact if you’re of a chardonnay kind of mind it’s hard to think of a better way to spend $40. That 2022 Chardonnay is a wine with pure, classic flavour and a load of personality.

The 2023 J&S Fielke wines were sent to me some time ago, but thanks to a comedy of errors on my behalf the wines have only just landed in my hands now. Both the 2023 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were reviewed on The Winefront site in August. Gary Walsh was positive towards the 2023 J&S Fielke Pinot Noir, but I like it more than he did. Good Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir is a bit few and far between but this release is dry, spicy and long in the best of ways. Indeed it’s a bit light-on, especially in Adelaide Hills terms, and that’s part of its secret, and part of its weaponry. It has a killing me softly aspect to it. It puts reduction to positive effect; it throws florals into crushed spices; it’s a wine of both tension and spark. It’s absolutely worth its $40 asking price.

Everyone who tastes the 2023 J&S Fielke Chardonnay (also $40) seems to love it, and again I’m 100% on board. It is chardonnay in all its glory but the clincher is the finish, which breasts the line and then just keeps on running. Again, there’s character. Again, there are classic lines, and classic flavours. This wine has all the form and structure you could wish for but it also feels free-spirited. Drinking it therefore is a joy.