Moko Hills Central Otago Chardonnay 2021 $59 
Donald van der Westhuizen has god-given grape-growing talent and it’s evident in this cleansing, crunchy-fresh, peach and pineapple-edged wine from the schisty slopes of Bendigo. Two chardonnay clones (UCD15 and B95) were gently whole-bunch pressed directly into French oak barrels and left to ferment naturally with the indigenous yeasts in the winery where it also rested for a whole year, with the lees being stirred through it periodically and a full malolactic ferment occurring in the Spring. That’s what gives it its creamy lift on the nose and its long, rich, citrus-laced finish.
