96+ Points - Philip Rich Salo is the partnership of the impressive winemaking duo of Dave Mackintosh and Steve Flamsteed, who over the past couple of decades have been responsible for making some of the Yarra Valley's finest wines. Since the Salo project commenced in 2008, the brief has been clear - make Yarra Chardonnay with weight, power and structure, while still letting site and season do the talking. That spirit remains intact here, and the 2025 Salo Yarra Valley Chardonnay is another beautiful expression of the Full Moon vineyard, which is already drawing high acclaim. "96+ Points. From the Full Moon vineyard in Gladysdale, which, sadly (and in a sign of the times), has been pulled out by the owner. Salo has another vineyard lined up for '26. In the meantime, this is an excellent way to go out. Brightly coloured with aromas of nectarine kernel, citrus peel, flint and light marine scents. There's a gentle creaminess on the well-weighted palate that finishes chalky, tensile and long. A lovely wine to drink now and over the next four to six years at least. $60. 13% alc. Drink: 2026 - 2032. Screwcap"- Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion "96 Points. Salo Chardonnay is a side project of noted winemakers Steve Flamsteed and Dave Mackintosh. It’s been going for 17 years, with most of the wines produced from the Full Moon Vineyard at Gladysdale in the Upper Yarra Valley. I’m not sure where this 2025 release was grown but it’s the same elite quality. “Side project” sounds both cool and dismissive; this is not a wine to be dismissed. I fell for this wine from the first sip. It’s so right that I’m almost lost for words, or for the appropriate ones. It’s mellifluous, first and foremost, in the most beautiful of ways. It tastes of white peach, cream, preserved lemons, honeysuckle and lactose, though everything comes at you as one harmonious stream. I will no doubt rate wines higher, but I can’t imagine a wine that I would more like to drink. This wine is pure, liquid gorgeousness. $60, 13% alcohol, Screwcap, Yarra Valley"- Campbell Mattinson, campbellmattinson.com.
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