FOREIGN FRIENDS 2025 'BLACK SPRINGS' CHARDONNAY

"By popular demand and courtesy of some good people, this Chardonnay is back on my tasting bench. Thank you for sharing the sample. The pleasure is all mine. There’s no denying the richness and concentration in this wine. And the length. In fact, this wine has a long finish as a starting point. It’s a loop, really. First sip, long finish, next sip. And on we go. Apples, peaches, cashews and toasted oats. This is a pretty solid base and the definition of this wine. Plenty of fruit, but with no tropical sunshine here, sweetness of ripeness—yes, but very much a savoury drive and a dry tail end. Then comes the sprinkle, the topping, the cherry on top—apple tart, custard powder, milk bottle lolly, cinnamon. Yes, all things we love and drool over. There’s a refreshing hint of mint and crushed fennel lingering too. It all comes together in grace and power. Great stuff."

96 Points by Kasia Sobiesiak for The Wine Front

"Hand picked, basket pressed, barrel fermented, aged on fine lees for 18 months (25% new oak). A vibrant, striking wine that reaffirms the young producer's rising-star status. Combines the luscious with the lightly savoury in aromas and flavours rich in summer stone fruits, honeyed almonds, preserved lemon and honeysuckle florals. Lemon curd and woody, spiced oak notes filter through across the palate in line with a brisk acidity, finishing tight and clean. This has a youthful complexity that should reward further ageing."

95 Points by Jeni Port for Halliday Wine Companion

This label signifies one of our Terroir Series wines. A new range that pays tribute to the land on which the grapes were grown. The reddish-brown colouring signifies the decomposed granite soil of the Black Springs vineyard. The deep gradient from the base of the label to the top represents the colouring of the granite as it oxidises close to the soil surface. The embossed gold frame appears as in all of our labels, this time reflecting the rows of vines.