Pike & Joyce Adelaide Hills "Sirocco" Chardonnay 2023 - Adelaide Hills, Australia

93/100 James Suckling (2022 vintage)
93/100 Stuart Knox, The Real Review (2022 vintage)
93/100 Ned Goodwin MW, Halliday Wine Companion (2022 vintage)
93/100 Aaron Brasher, The Real Review (2021 vintage)
91/100 James Suckling (2021 vintage)
91/100 Ned Goodwin MW, Halliday Wine Companion (2021 vintage)
91/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (2020 vintage)

5 Star - Halliday Wine Companion

Silver - Royal Adelaide Wine Show (2022 vintage)
Bronze - Adelaide Hills Wine Show (2022 vintage)
Gold - Adelaide Hills Wine Show (2021 vintage)
Gold - Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show (2021 vintage)
Bronze - Royal Adelaide Wine Show (2021 vintage)
Bronze - Melbourne Royal (2021 vintage)
Gold - Melbourne Royal (2020 vintage)
Bronze - Adelaide Hills Wine Show (2020 vintage)

James Suckling "Wild ferment in barrel, with partial malo, all to excellent effect. Very good chardonnay, combining stone-fruit allusions with almond tuile, poached quince and a rail of noble phenolics. Embedded oak and saline freshness provide grip, length and textural persuasion. Breadth, freshness and intrigue, all in one." (2022 vintage)

Stuart Knox, The Real Review "Light and bright lemon yellow colour. Grapefruit pith, grilled cashew and struck flint on the nose. Powerful and focused palate; the core has intense stone fruit with nutty and slaty complexity. Great length and its focus stays right to a very long finish" (2022 vintage)

Ned Goodwin MW, Halliday Wine Companion "Wild ferment in barrel, with partial mlf, all to excellent effect. Very good chardonnay, melding stone-fruit allusions with almond tuile, poached quince and a rail of noble phenolics. Embedded oak and saline freshness draw grip, length and textural persuasion. Breadth, freshness and intrigue, all in one." (2022 vintage)

Aaron Brasher, The Real Review "Aromas of grapefruit pith, nuts, white blossoms, nectarine and melon skin. Complex, layered and mouth-filling, lovely depth of white stone fruit, citrus, nutty oak and crunchy acidity. Long, textured and a very smart drink." (2021 vintage)

James Suckling "A mid-weighted chardonnay with ample flavor and a notch of flare. Cantaloupe, white fig and yellow plum. The mid-palate is all cashew cream, curd and white miso. Expansive and sweet, with a dutiful waft of oak giving direction to the finish while compressing the seams into a mold of drinkable restraint." (2021 vintage)

Ned Goodwin MW, Halliday Wine Companion "A mid-weighted chardonnay of ample flavour and a notch of flare. Cantaloupe, white fig and yellow plum. The mid-palate, all cashew cream, curd and white miso. Expansive and sweet, with a dutiful waft of oak directing the finish while compressing the seams into a mould of drinkable restraint." (2021 vintage)

Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show "Lifted stonefruit and spice. some funk. integrated and complex palate. bright fruit. nice structure and texture." (2021 vintage)

Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show "...ripe peach mid weight silky palate rounded mineral nice saline acid with fruit weight" (2021 vintage)

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "From the cool, high-altitude Lenswood district of the Adelaide Hills. Rich and more robust than is usual for Lenswood, but the vintage should ensure time will come to its aid." (2020 vintage)

This is a partnership between the Pike family (of Clare Valley fame) and the Joyce family, related to Andrew Pike’s wife, Cathy.

The winery is situated in Lenswood, which is a subregion of the Adelaide Hills. The Adelaide Hills region is well-known for its cool climate, high-altitude vineyards, and diverse range of premium cool-climate wines.

The Joyce family have been orchardists at Lenswood for over 100 years and also have extensive operations in the Riverland. Together with Andrew they have established this vineyard site, which was previously apple and pear orchards, is characterized by steep North and East facing slopes and possesses fantastic gravelly clay and loam soils which are ideally suited to the classic cool climate varieties that have been planted – Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. to sauvignon blanc (5.9ha), pinot noir (5.73ha), pinot gris (3.22ha), chardonnay (3.18ha) and semillon (0.47ha). The wines are made at the Pikes’ Clare Valley winery and exported around the world.

The vineyard is all hand pruned and handpicked with the fruit being chilled overnight in the Joyce cool rooms. Traditional old world techniques as well as modern Australian winemaking are incorporated to produce a style which reflects the variety and region."

Pike & Joyce owns and operates vineyards covering around 32 hectares in the Lenswood area of Adelaide Hills. The vineyards are planted at varying altitudes, providing an excellent opportunity to grow a variety of grape varieties that thrive in the cool climate.

Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grapes, Chardonnay is made in a wide range of styles from lean, to rich, creamy white wines aged in oak. Bolder, richer, full-bodied and buttery Chardonnays are made using oak and are produced in California, Burgundy, and Australia. Unoaked chardonnays such as Chablis and those produced in Chile, New Zealand, and other parts of France are leaner and often crisp and mineraly, with delicate flavors. By law, if a label says “Chablis,” it must be Chardonnay.

Chardonnay has been grown in Italy for decades, and it's become the fourth most-planted white wine grape in the country. The best Italian Chardonnay is found in the northern part of the country - the Piedmont - where the climate is similar to regions in France. However, if you know Chardonnay, you know that this versatile grape can be grown almost anwhere. Good Chardonnay can be found in places as diverse as Umbria, Sicily, Asti, and Tuscany.