Shingleback Red Knot Chardonnay 2018 McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia 75cl

Shingleback has been part of the McLaren Vale landscape for more than twenty-five years, a family winery led by winemaker Mark Jamieson and set just south of Adelaide. Red Knot is its accessible range, made to capture the region’s warmth and generosity in bottles that are easy to buy and easier to enjoy, with the serious estate wines sitting a rung above.

This is a McLaren Vale Chardonnay in an easy, modern style. The aim is charm and drinkability, with ripe fruit at the centre and only a light frame of oak, so the wine stays fresh, bright and open rather than heavy or over-worked. It is Chardonnay pitched at pleasure rather than complexity.

McLaren Vale’s warm maritime conditions ripen Chardonnay fully, tempered by cooling gulf breezes, and the 2018 fruit gives the wine its generous stone-fruit character and its soft, welcoming shape.

Expect aromas of white peach, apple and lime zest with a subtle nutty, oak-touched note, a smooth palate of orchard fruit and a gently creamy texture, and a clean, refreshing finish. Serve it chilled with roast chicken, grilled seafood, creamy pasta or soft cheeses, where its ripe fruit and easy weight suit the table well.

If you like Chardonnay that is ripe and easygoing rather than lean and austere, this Red Knot offers plenty of pleasure without asking much of your wallet. It is a dependable, warm-climate white for everyday enjoyment from a respected McLaren Vale name, and it is best drunk young while the fruit is fresh and lively.