Alkimi Marsanne 2023 from Alkimi in the Yarra Valley is a golden‑hued, textural white that walks a clever line between Chardonnay‑like richness and Pinot Gris‑style fruit, built for both immediate enjoyment and long, graceful ageing.

On the nose it shows white petals, pear and marzipan, with almond meal, freshly cut straw, honey and mandarin peel, moving into flinty notes and crème‑brûlée‑like oak. The palate opens bright and citrusy – grapefruit, lemon and mandarin – then swells into ripe apricot and fleshy peach with a soft, creamy feel. Ripe phenolics and vibrant acidity weave through the wine, bringing white pepper, charred greens and toffee‑apple notes, and giving real presence and length.

This Alkimi Marsanne 2023 is tailor‑made for umami‑rich dishes and richly flavoured tables: spaghetti vongole, chilled tofu with soy and ginger, grilled fish, confit duck, roast chicken or dauphinoise potatoes all work beautifully. Hand‑picked from a dry‑grown one‑acre block in Mount Evelyn, wild‑fermented, put through malolactic and bottled unfiltered, it’s a flagship Marsanne that will reward careful cellaring for a decade or more.