Chardonnay

This new project has given us the opportunity to enjoy making another Macedon Ranges Chardonnay, this time from the north of the region on granite soil. The grapes come from 25 year old vines and the wine is made in the usual Bindi way; 100% wild yeast barrel fermentation, 30% new oak, and ageing for ten months on solids and lees. The wine is bright and combines citrus, white flowers, nectarine and complex nutty/mealy elements. The palate is fresh, tight, chalky, gently creamy and intense. It will gain increased texture and complexity with five years cellaring and be delicious beyond.   #NEWBINDI

I love the story of this wine, named after Kostas Rind, teacher, mentor and friend of Michael Dhillon’s father, Bill – more details on the back label. And I love the contents within, particularly this vintage. Richly filled with stone fruit, spiced lemon, frangipane-lined lime tart, plus spices. Neat acidity keeps check of the palate, which has depth, some weight and very good length. 96 points. Jane Faulkner Published 10 July 2023   An intense, mineral wine fully ripe but lean, taught and intense with savoury, creamy elements. Fragrant notes of orange blossom, nectarine stone, spice and subtle nuttiness are usual with a...

Less that 20% of the usual volume made. This wine is made without additions of yeast, nutrients or enzymes. Once the juice is in the barrel a small amount of sulphur is added and then we wait, usually about five days, for the fermentation to begin. The wine spent 10 months on yeast lees in French barrels, of which 25% were new, and was bottled in late February. Typical and distinctive aromas of grapefruit and lemon with jasmine blossom lift from the glass and with time gently creamy and savoury/spicy aromas emerge. The palate is full, fresh, chalky, zesty, harmonious and quite smooth. It’s early days and five years of careful cellaring...

The GC Chardonnay (GC – Gary Charles) is attributed to all the knowledge we have been able to extract from Gary to create a close planted / high density planting of chardonnay on an exposed côte. These hillsides facing North, North East and East will be the backbone of the Farr dynasty for decades to come. They consist of the most suitable clones, rootstocks, trellising and management you will find for our landscape. This is our tribute to what ‘Gazza’ has achieved and provoked over 40 years not only in our region but for chardonnay and pinot noir of Australia. The North côte is a red to brown loam with buckshot...

Bright medium-depth yellow colour; bread dough and fresh pastry aromas at first sniff, then lemon and subtle grapefruit emerge, a trace of fresh picked herbs, all of this translating onto the palate which is delicate and refined, marvellously fresh and vital, trim and yet intense, seemingly low-alcohol and light on its feet, suggesting earlier harvested grapes. A superb chardonnay and a triumph from a tricky season. Date: Apr 2025; Alcohol: 13.5%; Price: $180.00; Drink: 2025-2039; Rating: 96 Points; Huon Hooke; The Real Review Tasted as a tank sample (bottling was imminent as of January 27), the frisky and wildly aromatic 2024 Kevin John...

Raciness and flavour, combined with aplomb. Citrus, pear, slate and flint characters launch from the outset, candied fruit and cedar notes emerging as it travels through the mouth. There's nothing lacking about this wine, and yet it seems zippy and refreshing; it will build flesh as it matures, and be better again for it. 94 points. Campbell Mattinson 2 August 2023.   #FOGG

COLOUR Deep straw. AROMA This wine exhibits lush nectarine, grapefruit and white peach characters. A hint of warm vanilla spice from oak ageing frames the nose. PALATE The palate is clean and lively with tremendous depth of ripe stone-fruit flavour nuanced by toasty almond-meal notes. Bright citrus acidity and orange peel provide length and vibrancy to the finish. CELLARING This wine may be enjoyed on release but will find further complexity three to four years from vintage. 

COLOUR Deep straw. AROMA This wine exhibits lush nectarine, grapefruit and white peach characters. A hint of warm vanilla spice from oak ageing frames the nose. PALATE The palate is clean and lively with tremendous depth of ripe stone-fruit flavour nuanced by toasty almond-meal notes. Bright citrus acidity and orange peel provide length and vibrancy to the finish. CELLARING This wine may be enjoyed on release but will find further complexity three to four years from vintage. 

JAMES SUCKLING 96 points. "Fantastic aromas of sliced cooked lemons and apple with flint, crushed stone, nutmeg and spiced pear. Medium to full body. Crisp acidity. Razor sharp. Oyster shells. Steely undertones. Tangy acidity." -  James Suckling.   GOLD MEDAL, Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2023.     "This wine brims with delicious, nutty pastry crust aromas which mingle with lifted white peach and orange blossom perfume. This is a textural wine with a vibrant, linear acidity. Juicy lemon and lime citrus fruit, fennel frond and savoury oak-driven complexities create an elegant, yet energetic wine with a...

Pale straw. White peach, grapefruit and nectarine with soft spice, struck flint, white flowers, almond meal, nougat, lemon curd, crushed stone and oatmeal. A little more concentration than the 2022 release but man it's all tension and release; initially tenses like a spring before releasing with just a squeak of phenolic texture and racing long, true and stony pure to its savoury endpoint. I recall James telling me that good chardonnay is all about drive – ticking all the boxes here. 96 points. Dave Brookes Published 30 August 2024

Perth Royal Wine Show 2024: Trophy, Best Chardonnay. Trophy, Best Western Australian White Wine.. Trophy, Best Western Australian Wine..   "Okay, this stacks up as the best chardonnay yet from Driftwood. Displays the subtle understatement of the style and the site, but then you start to explore the complex aromas of cut lime, lemon, quince and richer crème brulee. The palate then kicks in with its embedded richness coming from regular lees stirring. A most impressive and exciting chardonnay development for Driftwood.” Ray Jordan 97/100 Winery Note: "Handpicked estate grapes, whole cluster pressed and wild...

Heady aromas of struck flint, lemon blossom and just-cooked jasmine rice, whereas the palate is tight and nervy. Definitely texture in the midst, though, thanks to creamy lees and the spiced, cedary oak, all of which help bolster the palate. 92 points. Jane Faulkner Published 07 August 2024

JAMES HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION, DAVE BROOKES 2024, 96 POINTS. "Coal River Valley chardonnay, whole-bunch pressed into seasoned French oak (300L) for wild ferment before maturing for nine months in oak prior to blending and bottling. Pale straw, with vibrant aromas of grapefruit, white peach and nectarine cut with hints of struck-match complexity, spiced oatmeal, almond paste and riverstone. There's a lot going on here. It's like an orchestra; you can hear it as a whole but are able to delineate and pick out individual instruments, politely golf (orchestra?) clapping as you go, marvelling at the tautly stretched fruit canvas,...

HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION 2024 Pale straw in the glass with aromas of white peach, nectarine and grapefruit with a nice match/sulphide nuance and hints of soft spice, oatmeal, white flowers, nougat, lemon curd and clotted cream. There is impressive detail, clarity and composition here with a long, wonderfully expressive pure flow across the palate on rails of mineral and stone. A picture of tension and release. Beautiful drinking. 97 points.   #FOGG   #LOWE  

Selectiv'-harvested, pressed direct to oak (30% new Austrian) with full solids at 10 degrees C for wild yeast fermentation, sulphured but sat in oak without movement. This is a wine initially all about mouthfeel/texture/structure until the back-palate and finish when pithy grapefruit notes break free to populate the aftertaste with all manner of primary fruit, juice and zest contesting first place.97 points. James Halliday Published 21 March 2022

Hand-picked fruit, pressed to barrel for wild-yeast ferment; matured 7 months in (30% new) Austrian oak. Not an easy wine to pin down. Is it the Austrian oak? Like previous releases it is complex, firm in structure and carries its maritime credentials proudly, with an intriguing sea-spray quality. Lemon rind, grapefruit, rock pool, green apple and melon introduce the wine, the citrus theme running through to the lemony, brisk acidity that fully wakens the tastebuds. It's just stirring to life and most assuredly, it's a keeper. 95 points Jeni Port Published 04 May 2022

Barrel fermented with full solids; matured in 20% new French barriques with the new barrels going through mlf. A bright green gold. Savoury with aromas of stone fruits, pink grapefruit, a little hazelnut and some complex marine scents. Tightly wound, chalky, balanced and long. And, as good as this is now, in another six to 12 months or so, it will really be in the strike zone. 96 points. Philip Rich Published 23 April 2024

From a vineyard on the water in Port Arlington planted in '94. 20% new French barriques; 15% mlf. Mulline took full control of the vineyard in '23, and it now shows in what's the best Port Arlington Chardonnay I've tasted. Aromas of perfectly ripened stone fruits, orange blossom and a touch of sea spray precede the chalky, nicely concentrated and very well-balanced palate. A delight to consume now and over the next three to five years plus. 97 points. Philip Rich Published 29 April 2025

From a 10,000-vines-per-ha close-planted vineyard in the Moorabool Valley. Matured in 30% new French and Austrian puncheons. 20% mlf. A complex amalgam of white nectarine, crushed rocks, gentle vanillin and pressed flowers. Textured, saline and beautifully balanced. Now firmly one of the region's very best chardonnays and a wine that will provide lots of pleasure now and over the next five to seven years. 97 points. Philip Rich Published 28 April 2025

Hand-picked fruit. Wild-yeast fermented with 30% whole bunches in open-top vats. On skins for 9 days, mlf and 8 months' maturation in 20% new French oak. Moorabool Valley fruit, even though just bottled when tasted, is in fine form indeed, revealing good depth and concentration. Lifted, fragrant and pure, with the subtlest oak and confident handling. Sweet raspberry, dusty red cherry, musk, bramble and bracken glide across the palate. An exciting early start to a wine that will shine.95 points. Jeni Port Published 13 August 2021.

Hand-picked fruit, whole-bunch pressed to French oak, 25% new. A fragrant, fresh and lively youngster with well-measured oak that lets the fruit sing. Grapefruit, lemon, nectarine and white peach fill the bouquet and the palate, flowing fine in structure and briskly across the tongue by crisp, bright acidity. A delight now but with a big future ahead. 95 points. Jeni Port Published 16 May 2022

All P58 clone from '80 and '82 plantings. By Oakridge's reputation for making taut and tightly structured wines, this is the most open and immediately charming of this year's vineyard series wines. Aromas of yellow peach and gunflint lead onto the palate, which is gently textured, mouth-filling and, as always, very nicely balanced. A pleasure to drink now and over the short to medium term. 95 points. Philip Rich Published 23 March 2025.

SELECTION Selection for this Chardonnay focused on premium fruit from the cool slopes of the Upper Yarra Valley , Gladysdale (Willowlake) and Wandin East (Barkala), with a touch of estate fruit from Coldstream. VINTAGE 2023 A vintage defined by cool, wet conditions, low crops and harvesting late into autumn. The resulting wines have great depth of flavour and vibrant, balanced acidities. WINEMAKING A traditional winemaking approach was used to produce this wine – handpicking and whole bunch pressing directly to 500 litre French oak puncheons for natural fermentation followed by a 9-month maturation on lees. TASTING NOTE Pale straw and...

"A focused and citrusy Coal River Valley chardonnay, pale straw in the glass, that is packed with ripe lemon, grapefruit, peach and nectarine fruits with hints of soft spice, vanillin oak, crème fraîche, white flowers and stone. Plenty of tension and steely mineral focus on the palate; the wine at first coils before releasing with lemon, grapefruit and poached pear fruits sliding gracefully to the finish line." 94 points. Dave Brookes Published 07 August 2024.   #FOGG

“It’s a soft chardonnay with creamy, leesy characters as the palate’s main calling card before its zestier, zippier side takes over through the finish. Mellifluous for the most past, rushed with energy thereafter. Elegant..... 94 Points” Campbell Mattinson, Halliday Wine Companion, August 2020 (2019 Vintage. WINERY NOTE: The Mendosa clone creates rich, elegant Chardonnay and we selected this for our first Equilibrio. The wine is opulent, generous and composed with good oak integration all wound together with a citrus and nectarine, creamy freshness. The concept behind our Equilibrio range is to promote the very best...

Halliday Wine Companion: 95 Points – Praised by Jane Faulkner and Campbell Mattinson as the best Voyager Chardonnay in years, noting its remarkable length, hints of smoke, jasmine, grilled peach, and a delicate flinty edge.  The Wine Front: 95 Points – Highlighted as "moreish" with a savory edge, creamy nutty lees, and tangy acidity.  James Suckling: 92 Points – Noted for its mineral-driven nose with grapefruit, lemon peel, and chalk notes, and a complex medium-bodied palate.