Intense and tense Tasmanian Chardonnay from Rod and Cecile Roberts' new Ossa label. The tension is a positive one, driven by a beautiful acid line, with engaging apricot, melon and spice characters fleshing out the palate. Fermented in large old oak, then left in barrel on lees for a further 10 months. It's a rich style, replete with concentrated fruit and French oak spice and nuttiness. Ossa's new plantings of Chardonnay on Tassie's east coast will be included in future releases but for now the fruit is sourced from around the Apple Isle, including neighbouring Swansea and further south in the Coal River Valley.