2025 Praeter Magpie Block Chardonnay

95 pts
Organically farmed, dry-grown fruit delivers a Chardonnay with generous texture, citrus freshness and a savoury finish, backed by 95 points from Halliday Wine Companion.

Price:
Sale price$44.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

Made some pretty handy Chardonnays during his time at Shaw + Smith / Tolpuddle; did Matt Large. Now doing it on his own under the Praeter label, he's crushing it. This example from the Magpie Block comes from one of the earliest harvests on record.

At 220 metres in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges, the vineyard faces east to northeast, with sandy loam and ironstone over limestone and clay. Careful management through the warm, dry season kept the vines in balance and delivered healthy fruit at low yields.

The fruit was whole-bunch pressed into French oak hogsheads, 25% new, retaining the grape solids to build texture during fermentation. Malolactic fermentation and ten months on lees added depth before blending and bottling. Peach and grapefruit lead, with floral notes, toasted nuts and a lightly saline finish. There’s texture and a little grip alongside the bright acidity, giving it substance and length.

Classy stuff here and very fair value, rated 95 points by Halliday Wine Companion and 94 by The Wine Front.

95 points - "From the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges, planted to ironstone and quartz over limestone and clay soils. A warm and dry vintage is evident here; the freshness and vitality of the wine are somewhat contradictory to the growing conditions. Deeply floral, with honeysuckle and chamomile, toasted nuts, grilled peach and salted lime. Ruby grapefruit, pithy lemon and riverstone salinity all round. The phenolics and grip work in harmony with natural acids, propelling the fruit into the depths of the palate, oak lending its hand of spice and softness. Just beautiful." - Katrina Butler (Halliday Wine Companion)

94 points - "Stylish chardonnay. Measured and elegant. Flavours of grilled peach, vanilla bean, mineral, slate and tonic water merge with a particularly umami-like expression of cedar. This is one of those chardonnays where you keep noticing something new or different as you work your way through a couple of glasses. It’s juicy but it has tension and it finishes with excellent persistence. It will improve over the next year or two as well. Excellent." - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

Vineyard
Magpie Block is an E-NE slope of sandy loam with ironstone, quartz over limestone and clay. It is situated at 220m above sea level at the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges. The vineyard is dry-grown and I have been farming it organically since taking over.

Vintage
The 2025 growing season was warm and dry, one of the earliest harvests on record, but lower yields and careful management allowed for healthy vine balance to be maintained. The resulting wines have a remarkable freshness and clarity, allowing the natural minerality and structure of the site to shine through.

Winemaking
The fruit was whole-bunch pressed and racked to French oak hogsheads (25% new) with full solids. The wines underwent malolactic fermentation and remained on lees for 10 months before blending and bottling.

Technical Details
Oak: French oak hogsheads (25% new)
Time on lees: 10 months

Price Bracket $41 to $50
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Australia
Region Adelaide Hills
Australian State SA
Feature High Score
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
The Wine Front
Critic Score 95
Alcohol 13%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2025
Closure Cork

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