x

Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay 2015

Tapanappa, South Australia, Australia

Tapanappa
South Australia Australia
  • 93
    Points
  • The 1 468 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 7 Pros of
    7 recommend
    this wine
14 93
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    187

  • Producer ranking ?

    9

  • Decanting time

    45min

  • When to drink

    now to 2030

  • Food Pairing

    Wild Salmon with Herb Butter and Spring Vegetables

The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.

Read more
Close

The Story

Typically, the Tiers Vineyard is hand harvested in the last week of March to the first week of April.

A normal analysis of Tiers Chardonnay grapes at harvest is:

Sugar: 23.5 Brix

Total Acid: 8gpl 

pH: 3.1

The tiny bunches are selectively hand harvested into 0.3 tonne slotted trays and put into the cold room at the Tapanappa winery at the bottom of the vineyard. After 24 hours in the cold room the fruit at 2C is tipped as whole f...

Read more
Close

Wine Information

Vintage Notes

2015 welcomed the Croser family back into the Tapanappa Winery and the Piccadilly Valley blessed us with a typical cool weather vintage of exemplary quality. The winter provided average rainfall and replenished the subsoil, but from August to December very dry conditions prevailed, The Tiers Vineyard receiving just 40% of normal rain.

The three spring months and December were much warmer than average, only exceeded by the t...

Read more
Close

Latest Pro-tasting notes

<10 tasting notes

Tasting note

Be the first one to make a 20s tasting note!

Written Notes

An impressive site, and sight, the Tiers Vineyard. Planted back in Brian Croser's beloved Picadilly Valley back in 1979. If you're ever in the Hills, do ensure you take time to visit the cellar door and soak in the view back toward the drive you came down.

Peach, figgy, cashew, cream and spice

Lots going on with a palate presence that builds and builds. Meyer lemon, creamy presence, spicy oak. It has nuttiness, a texture, presence, a lingering significance that seems to just give. 

Acidity is balanced, yet it still needs time to settle. That said, It's an impressive wine. 93

-
  • 93p

Bright, light yellow colour. Fresh, buttery nose with complexity and vividity. Dry, very crisp acidity followed by gentle and refined oaky flavours and pungent lemony fruitiness. Very pristine style oaky cool climate chardonnay with long citrussy finish. Bit austere at this stage but will evolve rounder in further ageing. With this concentration and acidity, this wine can last easily 20 to 30 years. If served now, decant well in advance at least for 3 hours.

-
  • 90p

It’s not hard to see the reasons why this 2015 Tiers Adelaide Hills Chardonnay is on point. A famous vineyard in the Hills (one of the oldest), with a legend of the industry making the wine and a wine that is comfortably settled in style.

Please, keep delivering complex, tight, rich-but-taut Chardonnay like this Australia.

As to the wine, Brian is famously detail-focused, and there is great background info on the Tapanappa website. Well worth a look if you’re interested (I love that context. Throw winemaking notes at me wine world).

Despite a very dry vintage in the Hills (40% of normal rainfall), this 2015 Tiers Chardonnay doesn’t lack acidity or freshness. The opposite. Fermented and matured in 1/3 new French oak, and that oak stamp is one of the first things you notice. It’s not obtrusive, but it is a prominent character on a nose dominated by white peach and lemon lime. What makes this work is the contrast behind firm, grapefruit acidity (less malo this vintage?) and ripe fruit weight.

This is wine in motion – and arguably a bit too taut for drinking this year – but at every step is top flight stuff. I drank most of the bottle, and was marvelling at the ‘bones’ the whole way through. Score could well be conservative next year.

Best drinking: 2017-2021. 18.5/20, 94/100+. 13.6%, $79. Would I buy it? I’d be sorely tempted.

-
  • 94p
Load more notes

Information

Origin

Piccadilly, South Australia
Incorrect Information
If you found some information that is wrong, let us know
Send
Are you sure you want do delete this wine? All information will be lost.
Are you sure you want to recommend this wine?
Are you sure you want hide this written note ?
Are you sure you want show this written note ?
UPGRADE MEMBER PLAN
Upgrade your membership now, it's quick and easy. We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards. Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal. You can cancel your membership at any time.
Thank you for your support!
 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

 
Type a message ...
Register to Tastingbook
Sign up now, it's quick and easy.
We use PayPal, the world's largest payment system, it accepts all credit cards.
Once you've chosen your membership level, you'll go directly to PayPal, where you can sign up for a free 7-day trial period. You can cancel your membership at any time. We wish you a rewarding journey to the world of Fine Wines.

Free 7 days Member trial

 

Member

 

Pro Member

 

Winemerchant Member

 

Winery Member

 

User

  Register