2023 Shy Susan Chardonnay

**New Shy Susan Wines and new vintages released with the next Shy Susan Wine Club annually in September (ONE 6 pack per year)!

“Shy Susan (Tetratheca gunnii) is a critically endangered Australian wildflower. Her survival depends completely on a little native bee, who alone is capable of pollination. Their fate is forever entwined”.

 After working with Tasmanian fruit for nearly two decades Glenn James with his wife, Jo Marsh began crafting wines under their newly created Shy Susan label in 2015. The couple lived in Porepunkah in the Alpine Valleys region and Glenn commuted to Tasmania weekly for his role as Chief Winemaker at Winemaking Tasmania. When Jo fell pregnant in late 2019 Glenn made the decision to leave his role and work fulltime with Jo in the Alpine Valleys. Having many years to experience the quality of fruit the Alpine Valleys had to offer they decided to continue the Shy Susan brand with local fruit. Select small parcels of fruit are crafted to reflect variety, vineyard and the stylistic approach forged from Glenn’s skill and experience.

Production Notes

Brian Lewis planted the recently imported Entav-Intra® 1066 clone Chardonnay at his Greenacres vineyard in Merriang South in 2015.  The clone is described as very low yielding with very small bunches producing richly flavoured wines with fine structure, and it has certainly proven to do exactly that.

Hand picked (an excruciating task with such tiny bunches) and whole bunch pressed, then filled to barrel with all the goodness of full solids. Fermentation occurs in barrel with a combination of selected wine yeasts. Wines are aged on lees for 9 months, with minimal stirring and sulphur added as required to each individual barrel. Some malolactic fermentation was also allowed to occur during maturation. Continuing in the style of previous releases of this wine, no new oak was used. Instead a combination of one year old and older oak ensures a seamless integration and harmonious balance.

Tasting Note

Complex aromas of nougat, grilled hazelnut and yellow stone fruit, with a savoury mealy character that lingers. An intensely flavoured palate with layers of texture, the same mealy savouriness and grilled hazelnuts. Attractive phenolics and a fine vein of acidity create tension adding to the depth and complexity of this wine.    

Optimal Drink Window – now to 2035. We’ve done some maturation for you – drinking well now, but if you can hold onto it will continue to develop!!

Technical details

Reviews

"From a ridiculously low yielding clone, and there are only two rows of it. It takes the Billy Button/Shy Susan crew three days to pick a miniscule 900 kgs. This chardonnay is distinctly different to everything else we see from the Alpine Valleys. It sees no new oak.

Smoky notes, a bit of flint, a core of white peach, a smear of nougat. This is A Grade chardonnay. It has an intensity, it’s complex, it’s elegant and it extends. Bacony oak, lactose and almond paste characters apply a gentle satiny-creaminess to the mouthfeel. This is a wine of character and length; it will still be drinking well in 20 years time. Leave this alone for a few years and then revel in it." 95+ points. Campbell Mattinson 25 September 2025

"A restrained, complex and composed young wine, which signals some serious intent for the future of premium Alpine Valleys chardonnay. Offers insight into a richer style, where the inviting scent of crème brûlée mixes with white peach, baked apple and quince. The palate boasts more depth in mealy grilled nuts, stone fruits, quince and vanillin oak, showing umami warmth in league with taut acidity. This is a young chardonnay in evolution with good palate weight, mouthfeel and a touch of savouriness that will only build with further time in bottle." Awarded 94 points, Halliday Wine Companion, Jeni Port - Published 20 August 2025