Tapanappa, Chardonnay, South Fleurieu

(Seans Panorama) Citrus florals, rich creamy palate, oily vanilla and smokey oak.

Ripe peach over lemon with notes of cream & spice. In the mouth there is some tart acidity that feels out of whack with the ripe fruit. It's a little short as well. Meh.

Who says Australian Chardonnay needs to have (over)ripe sweet fruit and a whole lot of oak? Lovely brioche and baked apple nose. On the palate this is much more restrained than most Australian Chardonnays I have had with lots of acidity and an almost unripe fruit of green apples and classic Chablis like Brioche notes and vanilla from high quality oak. Flavors showed much nicer when wine was near room temperature, so don't chill too much! There is not much …

Pale yellow colour with a tinge of gold. Strong fruit nose with a fresh character with no hint of the old oily over oaked style of Chardonnay. Smooth and dry with great texture with a long finish on the palate but neither the fruit or oak dominate. A good structured wine with great body but lacking some complexity.

Tapanappa Tasting with Brian Croser (26 Waterloo Street, Surry Hills, Sydney) : Clear, pale lemon. Medium intensity, clear, developing with aromas of mineral, slight citrus - lemon and slight stone fruit - peach, slight malolactic/buttery notes and hints of oak/cedar. In the mouth the wine is dry with medium minus acidity, medium alcohol, medium body, medium minus flavour intensity with a slight chalkiness of texture and a slight bitterness. Flavour of slight spicy notes, peach and citrus notes, slight malo …

Haskell Vineyards Tasting Session - Chardonnay New World (Haskell Vineyards) : (Tasted Blind) A pale lemon-yellow with bright aromas of Alpine herbs, fennel fronds and tangerine leaf. Much fresher than the 2008 there is some light oak spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. A vibrant acidity on entry, the wine is lively and buoyant with a creamy soft texture and lightly sweet fruit. Nicely balanced with complexity, the wine is brightened by the acid, while the finish lingers with a touch …

Wine-Ark Cellar Club Tasting 6 - June 2011, Tapanappa, Torbreck (Roof Terrace Australian Museum) : Colour: Clear, medium minus, lemon green Nose: clean, developing, toast, stone fruit, cream and butter Mouth: tart acid and burnt flavours, lacking fruit, disappointing

A good cork and fresh wine. Not as wonderful as anticipated: such is life for famous faces! Maybe better next year.

Family Dinner (French Kitchen) : Excellent but more tight than the last time round. This is more mineral , steely and stony now than the butterry mushroomy character. Very well balanced but I really think this has closed up quite a bit. Does have a ice cream soda creaminess now but light, also red apples. Hopefully it restarts business in another few years. At the moment, its at the lower end of the range but does seem to hold more …

Impromptu Burgundy night (Duxton Hill, Singapore) : Surprisingly light colour for a new world Chard, but the elegance and poise that the wine showed was not exactly typically new world either. Very pretty nose, with flowers, loads of fleshy white and tropical fruits and a rim of chalk. The palate was fat and rich, with tons of sappy fruit, pear, apple and banana, with a burst of heat at mid-palate. Certainly more forward and also less complex than the two …

Light golden. Extremely tight on the nose and palate. It does eventually open up but I suspect that this wine is way too early to drink even with decanting. Extremely dense and intense. A very serious wine. Hits you upfront with an asteroid of co-mingled vapours and flavours...very hard to break it down...it slowly melts like butter on a hot pan into your palate with waves of butter, green fruits, bitter lemons, honey oats and earthy/mineral-like complexity. Throughout the 30mins …