Hidden Sea Chardonnay 2026
AU$23, 13% alcohol, screwcap, Limestone Coast.
This puts a bit of personality back into chardonnay with flavours of corn, smoked peach, cream and butter getting a good run. There are no airs and graces here: it delivers good flavour and a fair volume of it, and then extends satisfyingly through the finish as well.
90 points – Campbell Mattinson.
Campbell Mattinson
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.
