2023 Mac Forbes Yarra Junction Village Chardonnay

The highest rated of the Village Chardonnays this year, this is a blistering Chardonnay from the Mac Forbes team.

Tucked in a smaller valley that stretches from Yarra Junction to Poweltown, this east-facing vineyard enjoys cooler winds off the Yarra River, with mountain ranges to the north and southwest offering shelter from the harsh afternoon sun. 

The grey loam soils with underlying silt, combined with the site’s natural protection, allow the Chardonnay grapes to ripen later, developing thicker skins and maintaining bright acidity.

This Chardonnay is all about balance and precision. The wine's elegant structure and clean, linear profile are complemented by a powerful drive on the palate, making it as refreshing as it is complex.

This is in the flinty, crunchy iteration of the Mac Forbes Chardonnay supermarket. A real minerally feel here, with citrus and grapefruit being the dominant fruit characters. It's a pithy, dramatic wine that will reward some cellaring.

97 points
"From a single site. A few hours of skin contact before fermentation and maturation in seasoned barriques. A brilliant green gold. Restrained with aromas of just-ripened orchard fruits, yellow plum, orange blossom and grilled hazelnuts. Really persistent, balanced, tensile and long. A lovely wine destined to blossom over the next, at least, seven to 10 years."
- Philip Rich (Halliday Wine Companion)