Briar Ridge The Squire Chardonnay 2024
$27, 12.5% alcohol, screwcap, Hunter Valley & Orange.
This is a chardonnay for people who like a bit of flavour in their wine, and a bit of texture. It’s not an old-school chardonnay but it tends in that direction, in a good way. Peach, pear, citrus and honey flavours come infused with burnt butter and fragrant herb notes. It tastes fresh and it feels satisfying. 90 points.
Campbell Mattinson has been an independent journalist, wine critic and photographer for forty years. He founded The Winefront, is a former chief editor of the Halliday Wine Companion (and former editor of Halliday magazine), and is the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He is 100% independent, and tastes between 5,000 and 10,000 wines each year, blind and in comparative brackets as often as is practicable.
Mattinson is also the founder of the Mattinson Photography business.
