It pays to listen up when a winemaker of Steve Flamsteed’s calibre starts the conversation with: “This is the most balanced and delicious wine we’ve made”. Oh, yes, there’s something good coming. In this case, it’s the 2023 Salo Chardonnay. History counts for a lot in the wine game. When it comes to people and place, Salo’s roots run deep. This is the collaboration of long-term friends and one-time colleagues Steve Flamsteed and Dave Mackintosh. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past two decades, you’ll know who Steve Flamsteed is, not least because of his trailblazing work at Giant Steps in the Yarra Valley. During his tenure, he formed a solid, lasting friendship with then right-hand man, Dave Mackintosh, now a sought-after producer in his own right with his Arfion and Kenzie labels. Between them, they’ve had an enormous impact on the modern Australian Chardonnay landscape. Then there’s the vineyard. Since starting Salo back in 2008, Flamsteed and Dave have sourced the fruit from the same place: Simon Harte’s Full Moon Vineyard perched high in the Upper Yarra. It’s a partnership that gets better with age. Importantly, it’s planted to the right clones (95 and 96), considering the cooler temperatures and higher rainfall than in the valley’s lower-lying areas. “These clones tend towards the citrus, melon and stone fruit spectrum as opposed to peach and pineapple,” Steve told us. “It means the wine is more savoury than primary-fruit-driven, which I like. That’s very Salo.” Steve Flamsteed’s ebullient promotion of Australian Chardonnay is as refreshing as his wine. He uses the term “delicious” often and without regret and believes—as we do—that modern Australian Chardonnay offers some of the best value in the wine world. Above all, he’s looking for joy in wine. If that’s your thing, too, there’s plenty of that and more to be found in the ’23 Salo. Contact Paul to place an order 2023 Salo Chardonnay23734-750 $55.00/bt or $49.50/bt as part of a case The Full Moon Vineyard, high in the southern hills of the Yarra Valley on the eastern side of the Gladysdale subregion, has been the source of Salo Chardonnay since 2014. Given the history, Dave and Steve are dialled into its intricacies in any given vintage. It’s one of the only vineyards in the vicinity, and the grapes ripen remarkably evenly despite its west-facing aspect. “It’s a ripper site for Chardonnay,” according to Flamsteed.Meticulously and sustainably managed by Simon Harte—a viticulturist deeply in touch with the vineyard’s rhythms —it’s a site known for producing Chardonnay of power and intensity. The fruit is, in Dave’s words, “always exceptional”. The two clones of Chardonnay (95 and 96) are well suited to the site’s cooler conditions and give fruit in the melon and stone fruit spectrum as opposed to more tropical leaning clones like i10v1. The vines are 25 years old and deeply rooted in the site’s red-brown volcanic soils.Although the minutiae change, the winemaking ethos hasn’t shifted much over the years. The fruit was picked by hand, chilled overnight and pressed as whole bunches to 500-litre seasoned French puncheons with full solids for spontaneous fermentation. This year, the wine underwent full malolactic conversion, building midpalate weight and adding detail and complexity. The wine was not stirred, fined or filtered. As usual, this wine tastes more like Salo than Yarra Valley. The boys have carved out a definitive style that is their own: powerfully flavoured, beautifully tense and textured and affirming joie de vivre. "From the Full Moon Vineyard in Gladysdale. Wild ferment and 100% mlf. There's only one wine from winemakers and friends Steve Flamsteed and Dave Mackintosh, and it's always a good 'un. A bright green gold. There's aromas of ripe stone fruits together with some savoury and complex briny notes. On the palate, this has lots of flavour and punch, finishing long with a refreshing touch of grip. Delicious now and over the next 4–6 years." 96 points, Philip Rich, Halliday Wine Companion 2025 “A quiet and gentle chardonnay of suppleness, creamy flow, soft citrus fruit characters, red apple sweet-sourness and a lick of almond, nougat and vanilla in the mix. An undertow of barely there but refreshing saline acidity does a nice trick too. This feels very even, subtle in its general sense and yet persists beautifully and with freshness with each sip. Classy, understated and delicious.” 94 points, Mike Bennie, The Wine Front