2021 Tiers Chardonnay: 97 pts from Wine Advocate

2021 Tiers Chardonnay from Tappanappa has just been rated 97+ points by Wine Advocate. We have just tasted this ourselves and were similarly impressed. Fresh, zesty and long, this is superb vintage of one of Australia’s most reliable cool climate Chardonnays made in a clean, modern style.

Tiers is made by the highly respected Brian Croser. Long-time winemaker at Petaluma, he was a pioneer of modern-style Australian Chardonnay in the 90s, seeking out cool climate sites to achieve freshness and terroir definition. After the sale of Petaluma in 2001, he brought the Tiers vineyard under his own label, Tappanappa. He has continued to push forward quality ever since.

The unique Tiers vineyard lies in the Piccadilly Valley in Adelaide Hills, where cool breezes and high elevation combine to cool the vineyard and moderate the high levels of sunshine. The 42 year old vines here are naturally low yielding, and the grapes are always hand harvested. In the winery, the grapes are whole cluster pressed before a long, slow fermentation in barrels, one third of which are new. The wine is matured on the lees in barrel before bottling. Although it shows well early, Tiers also ages very well.

Croser thinks he may have made his best ever Tiers in 2021: a warm, dry vintage that perfectly suited the cool terroir of this vineyard.

2021 Tiers Chardonnay  is a top notch example of the variety, made in a restrained, precise in style, by one of Australia’s most famous winemakers. Only 600 were cases were made. Fans of high quality Chardonnay should not miss out.

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