This is proper old school rich Chardonnay with plenty of flavour. It smells warm and inviting, almost like buttered toast, toasted hazelnut, and ripe stonefruit with a seam of lovely vanilla and oatmeal characters. It feels good too - smooth and rich, with a big mouthful of flavour. Medium to full bodied, but not too heavy, Goldilocks style, with a nice zip to the finish. It’s well-balanced and all round good drinking.

Like so many of us stuck in the city, Melbourne stockbroker John Barry dreamed of somewhere else. Somewhere greener. Way back before tree-changing was a thing, John's journey landed him in the Pyrenees, just outside the historic Gold Rush town of Avoca, where he purchased a 400-acre property off Moates Lane and planted the first vines back in 1970. Over the following decades, the vineyard grew bigger, more than 1000 olive trees joined the vines, and second-generation Barry family member Matthew Barry took over. Matthew continued the environmental ethos and practice instigated by his dad, converting the vineyard to certified organic production, and added a group of ecolodges in 2009, which the family think are perfect for 'just hang out, unwind and bask in the peaceful and largely untouched Pyrenees'. Meanwhile, the full-flavoured Mount Avoca wines are just as welcome, led by a selection of typically evocative Chardonnay, Viognier, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.