The wine is a pale straw color with a green hue. The nose displays some complexity with white peach and citrus, complimented by underlying nutty characteristics. This is a medium weight wine with peach and citrus characters, a creamy mid palate, balanced nicely with a tight acid line. The wine finishes with balance and a good persistence.
The winemaker recommends trying this wine with chicken teppanyaki.
"This has a gently flinty edge with fresh pear and apple, as well as pastry and nougat and lightly cedary oak influence. The palate has plenty of acidity and carries pithy lemon and grapefruit flavors, together with some melon. Restrained and acidity-driven. Some oak warms the finish. Drink now."
- James Suckling (November 2021), 90 pts
"Light and airy, with delicate notes of poached pear, lime zest and lemon thyme. Fresh acidity. Drink now. 1,000 cases made, 100 cases imported. - MW"
- Wine Spectator (Web only 2019), 88 pts
"This likable straightforward Chard opens with aromas of grapefruit, lemon, red apple and florals which flow into a slippery but crisp palate. The finish is short but bright and juicy fruited. - CHRISTINA PICKARD"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 2019), 88 pts
"This wine opens quite reductively, those flinty aromas making way, as the wine warms and is exposed to air in the glass, towards notes of lemon and orange rind, toasted brioche and burnt sugar—the latter two seemingly from oak influence. The palate is less toasty than the nose implies although it's not entirely absent. Bright acidity and zippy citrus-rind flavors coalesce nicely with the chalky texture, making this a restrained and food friendly drop. CHRISTINA PICKARD"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 2019), 89 pts
"Limpid yellow. Musky citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complemented by floral and smoky lees accents. Silky and broad on the palate, offering juicy orange and pear nectar flavors and a touch of honeydew melon. Closes on a gently spicy note, with a lingering orange zest quality and good cling. - Josh Raynolds"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2021), 89 pts
"Sourced from Eden Valley, the 2017 Mount Crawford Chardonnay includes 25% barrel-fermented and aged wine, while the rest is done in tank. It's a juicy, medium-bodied Chardonnay, fruit-focused, with pineapple, pear and citrus flavors. Not overly rich or broad, it fits neatly within the current paradigm of balanced Aussie Chardonnay. At the price, it can compete with anything from anywhere in the world. - Joe Czerwinski"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #238, August 2018), 88 pts
"Starts off with accents of honeysuckle and peach blossom, giving way to vibrant lime, lemon and pear flavors. Set on a sleek frame, with plenty of oomph on the finish. Drink now through 2023. 1,000 cases made. –MW"
- Wine Spectator (November 30th 2017), 90 pts
"Light gold. Pear, tangerine, fennel, pungent flowers and a hint of smoky lees on the nose. Spicy and broad on entry, then more taut in the middle, offering bitter orange zest and Anjou pear flavors and a touch of candied ginger. Shows good energy on the warm. spicy finish, which leaves a suggestion of buttered toast behind. - Josh Raynolds"
- Vinous (Australia Brings the Brawn and the Beauty, October 2017), 90 pts
"Brilliant yellow. Dried pear, lemon zest, honeysuckle and a hint of vanilla on the fragrant nose. Fleshy and smooth on the palate, offering fresh melon, pear nectar and tangerine flavors and a hint of bitter quinine that adds back-end cut. Closes on a subtle leesy note, showing very good energy and lingering citrus character. - Josh Raynolds"
- Vinous (Australia Brings the Brawn and the Beauty, October 2017), 90 pts
"Pale yellow. Aromas of ripe melon and white peach are lifted by a suggestion of lemon pith. Fleshy and seamless on the palate, offering juicy honeydew and nectarine flavors sharpened by a refreshingly bitter jolt of quinine. Closes with good energy and an echo of fresh pit fruits. - Josh Raynolds"
- Vinous (March 2016), 88 pts
"Light, bright yellow. Zesty citrus- and orchard fruit-scented nose shows a suave floral overtone and a hint of peach pit. Sharply focused Meyer lemon and pear flavors are light-bodied but nicely concentrated, showing good nervy lift and focus. Finishes dry and tight, with very clarity and spicy persistence."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, 89 pts
"Aperitif style with a peachy/toasty oak nose and citrus, acod-based flavors"
Winestate Magazine (May/June 2012), TOP 40 BEST BUY
The name Thorn-Clarke represents the union between two families with deep roots in the Barossa Valley and six generations of grape growing. Cheryl Clarke’s (née Thorn) family were some of ...
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