Orlando, Lyndale Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia 2019 (13.3%)

You’ll have no trouble telling our two Antipodean Chardonnay wines in the Best in Show selection apart – which is exactly as it should be, as place-related differences step to the fore in winemakers’ thinking and craft. This wine is more green-silver than gold, and packed with aromatic floral lime, underscored by a swirl of cream from barrel fermentation. It’s vivid and fresh without being skinny, lean or over-taut – clearly a Chardonnay at ease with its cool climate. Yet the layers are there, too, like exposed sedimentary strata, giving the wine a vertical dimension which will carry it effortlessly through a meal.

Established in 1874, Orlando stands tall as one of Australia’s most historic and preeminent wineries, having laid down a multitude of markers throughout that time, including its pioneering work with sparkling wine and Riesling (it first released the groundbreaking Steingarten Riesling in the 1960s).

Having only made its debut in 2018, this Best in Show winner is relatively wet behind the ears, yet is already putting itself forward as a modern classic.

Lyndale Chardonnay is a marriage of two vineyard blocks – Woodside and Piccadilly – in the cool, lofty and undulating Adelaide Hills. ‘Woodside offers generosity, texture and the enticing core of citrus fruit, while Piccadilly adds purity, depth and a linear acid profile that makes the wine a more three-dimensional experience,’ says Orlando.

Winemaker Tim Pelquest-Hunt earned his stripes as a travelling vigneron, pitching up in regions as diverse as southern England, Germany, Napa and New Zealand. He has also worked in Tasmania, Hunter Valley and Barossa, meaning that Orlando’s heritage is far from lost on him. ‘Orlando’s rich winemaking history reshaped the face of the Australian wine industry by helping to define regional classics,’ he says. ‘These are special wines from treasured places.’