This S.R.S. Chardonnay is one of the great Chardonnays in Margaret River, in my opinion; however, it tends not to show its potential for a number of years after release. I also believe that the cooler Wallcliffe area (in the Boodjidup Valley) is one of the great areas within Margaret River for Chardonnay, straddling power and poise in a single leap. So, this 2022 SRS Wallcliffe Chardonnay hails from a warm season and is mostly bound up right now in oak and winemaking. The flinty reduction and spicy sulfides in the mouth serve to shield us from the full impact of the fruit, although the length of flavor through the finish indicates that this will unfurl in time. There's brine, green olive, roasted pineapple, tobacco, turmeric and saltbush. An extraordinary wine, this is one that I look forward to seeing again in the future. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The fruit for this 2021 SRS Wallcliffe Chardonnay comes from the Wallcliffe area of Margaret River. Just west and slightly south of town, this area is my favorite in the region for Chardonnay, a lesson I learned while tasting through 80 masked barrel samples of the 2022 vintage. The fruit from this area is powerfully concentrated, suffused with intense, juicy acidity and resplendent with a flow and power that is difficult (read, not impossible) to match elsewhere. The nose here leads with almond meal, crushed/salted cashews, white peach, green apple skins, hints of dried lavender/bergamot, green tea/matcha, pink grapefruit, preserved citrus and graphite. This is a superb Chardonnay, possessed of searing acidity now, but this ameliorates into the fruit after a couple of years in bottle and infuses the wine with vitality, excitement and line. Fair warning, I laughed out loud when I put this wine in my mouth for the vibratory, thrumming acidity, but it is matched by equally concentrated fruit, so have no fear. It matured for 10 months in large-format French oak (40% new). 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

I recently opened a 2020 estate Chardonnay from Flametree ($30, an unmitigated, ripping bargain, and you can often find it around town for cheaper) and was blown away by its composure, complexity and deliciousness. The 2020 SRS Wallcliffe Chardonnay is a step up on all fronts and is starting to gracefully settle into its mealy, salty, creamy countenance. If you know winemaker Cliff Royle, you'll know he is an avid lover of high-end Champagne (I feel I cannot count the occasions where a bottle of Taittinger Comtes has been opened in his presence), and there are parallels between the racy, toasty, spicy, high acid, piercing splendor of those wines, albeit through a powerful, concentrated Margaret River lens. This has lashings of flavor, juicy acidity and firm phenolic structure. Excellent. Untold. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The 2019 SRS Wallcliffe Chardonnay is composed and creamy, svelte in its phenolic line in the mouth and so seductive in its measured outlay of fruit and acid. Hand over fist, this deals layers of curry leaf, crushed nuts, white peach, preserved citrus, mustard greens/rocket, saltbush, bay leaf, brine and kelp/nori (descriptors usually reserved for Margaret River Cabernet, and yet...). The litany of flavors goes on and on, pulsing through the finish. It veritably hums. A beauty. As with all of these wines, this was wild fermented and matured in large-format French oak (40% new) for 10 months. I almost feel stingy giving it the score I have. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The 2018 SRS Wallcliffe Chardonnay is like seared marmalade, cold buttered toast, crushed nuts, grapefruit zest, preserved citrus, saffron and crème br?lée top. In the mouth, it is powerful and mouthfilling (we expect this from 2018), and I see a little crushed coffee grounds (oak?) through the finish. It's in a quiet phase of its evolution, and my feeling is don't go near this for a little while, if you are fortunate enough to have the choice. As with all of the other SRS Chardonnays, this was wild fermented and matured in large-format French oak (40% new) for 10 months. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.