It's so difficult to avoid comparisons with Montrachet, except to say both have profoundly deep and long palates. Of course, there's high-quality French oak and the requisite acidity to freshen the finish, but the ultimate quality lies in the freakish length of the wine.
99 points and Top 100, Wine Companion (November 2020)
This has such richness and complexity from the outset. Kinzbrunner is flexing all the muscle in this 2018 chardonnay. The nose is wildly complex with flint, wet stones and lemon and grapefruit pith. Peach and praline notes, too. This is so, so complex. The palate has a plush, smooth-honed texture and delivers a full, textural takeover with intense peaches, mangoes and peach custard and a smooth, deep finish. This is exceptional. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
98 points, JamesSuckling.com (June 2020)
Bright, light to medium yellow colour, with a complex, well-worked bouquet displaying nougat (toasted almond and honey), smoked chicken, and a multitude of other aromas. These all translate to the palate, which is full-bodied and rich, but not forward or over-built in any way. There's a generous component of matchstick sulfides as well as classy oak. It has great concentration and persistence, is packed with flavour and entertains to the last drop. There is a sweetness and richness that comes not from residual sugar but sheer concentration of ripe fruit flavour.
97 points, The Real Review (May 2020)
A whole heap of struck match, dropped into melting butter. It’s slippery and powerful, lime and fresh cut pineapple acidity, oatmeal, ginger and cinnamon, peppermint and white chocolate, pear skin and chalk, feels very wet and very dry at once, citrus zest and oak spice, pancakes with peaches, grip and crunch and smoke on a very long finish. Almost painful in its intensity and volume, so much so, the neighbours can probably hear me drinking it. Yet, still, undeniable quality in the glass here. En garde.
96 points, The Wine Front (May 2020)
Beechworth
Located in the foothills of the Victorian Alps, Beechworth is a small cool climate region with high continentality. The vineyards enjoy a large number of sunshine hours and are generally planted at altitudes of 400m. A variety of soil types are found with the two dominant ones being ancient sandstone gravel and clay and granitic loams over decomposed gravels and clays. While north or north-easterly slopes are generally favoured, the best sites are located away from higher altitude, cold-air drainage channels, with the risk of frost high in both spring and autumn. Restricted water availability means most vineyards are dry-grown. A region of small boutique producers, Beechworth is best known for premium Chardonnay, Shiraz and Pinot Noir, although plantings of Italian varieties including Sangiovese and Nebbiolo also show great promise.
