Southern Light Vineyards Ghostgum Chardonnay 2023: Review

Southern Light Vineyards Ghostgum Chardonnay 2023
$90, 13.5% alcohol, DIAM cork, Main Ridge, Mornington Peninsula.

Last year I travelled to Main Ridge on the Mornington Peninsula to visit winemaker Anthony Fikkers at Southern Light Vineyards, maker of this Ghostgum Chardonnay. The result is worth a read. The 2022 releases – the reason for that visit – were very good. But this 2023 Chardonnay release is better again.

Is it what. The delicacy, the length, the inherent power, the character. From the first sip we’re away and we’re flying. Pears, grapefruit, lemon, cedar and rushes of nutty, flinty, tonic-like nuances. There’s nothing in-your-face about this wine, it’s an example of elegance plus plus, and yet a few sips in and it’s all you can think about. Besides, the finish of this wine – and the long curl of it – is the real deal. The vines this wine was grown on were planted in 1990, and every speck of this wine feels mature, considered and at peace with the world. Go you good thing. This wine is beautiful. 95 points.

Feature article on Southern Light Vineyards.

Campbell Mattinson

This article was written by Campbell Mattinson, former chief editor of the Halliday Wine Companion book, former editor of Halliday magazine, former editor of Australian Sommelier Magazine and founder of the highly respected The Winefront site.

Mattinson has been a respected wine critic and photo-journalist since 1987. He’s the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He’s a past winner of a Louis Roederer International Wine Media Award; is the author of the award-winning book The Wine Hunter; and is the author of the best-selling novel We Were Not Men. He’s also a winner of a St Kilda Film Festival Award (as writer-director) and is a former winner of the prized Best Australian Sports Writing Award.

Mattinson puts a score out of 100 on every wine that he reviews. But what he’d rather do, is tell you the wine’s story.

https://www.campbellmattinson.com
Previous
Previous

Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Next
Next

Reschke Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2022