Elanto Vineyard Chardonnay 2023

Described by Jane Faulkner in James Halliday’s Wine Companion magazine as “The most exciting winery you’ve never heard of,” we have a tiny allocation of the inaugural vintage of the 2023 Chardonnay and 2023 Pinot Noir (both $150) from Mornington newcomers Elanto. Established by acclaimed winemaker Sandro Mosele who describes the vineyard as “my chance to put into practice all the best practices I’ve learnt and seen in great vineyards around the world.” Grown on red volcanic soils, these vines are ultra high density (11,111 vines per ha), 4x the Australian average and at a level akin to (and sometimes greater to) Grand Cru Burgundy. As for the wines, they have been getting rave reviews (which peaked our attention) and if you’re a classic kiwi Pinot and Chardonnay drinker, we’d wholeheartedly recommend trying some of these wines from the West Island.

The Chardonnay is made up from fruit from three blocks, which are vinified separately and fermented wild and aged in seasoned and new French oak barrels. The Real Review scored this wine 96/100 stating it was “powerful, yet elegant” and rating in the top 10 Mornington Chardonnays from 2023 while Campbell Mattison of Winefront described the wine as “a chardonnay for lovers of chardonnay.”