Aussie Whites

Steven Spurrier - “Eileen Hardy Chardonnay is, in my view, the Grange of Australian white wines”.

98 Points - Stuart McCloskey "Less expressive than some 2015’s however, decanting for thirty minutes to an hour and serving in a large Burgundy glass brings this wine alive. The wine is silky, graceful with mouth-coating waves of life affirming minerality. Real breadth and depth here with a laser-like focus. I love the juicy yellow stone fruits and spices. I imagine this will be utterly spectacular in another 6-8 years. It is the nectar of the Aussie Gods and would shame many a white Burgundy at double the price. I recommend drinking this stupendous wine from now to 2028 and beyond (in good cellar conditions)."

97+ Points - Stuart McCloskey

More intense, open-knit and richly textured compared to the 2015 although, both vintages are matched by their exquisite balance. The wines aromatics (honeyed citrus fruits, waves of minerals and a little maritime note) unfold with 20 minutes in a decanter (advised for ultimate satisfaction). The palate is medium to full-bodied, ripe and endlessly long. The play between textured weight and acidity is fantastic – A perfect marriage of cohesion and completeness. Given my experiences with mature Eileen Hardy Chardonnay’s, the ’14 is difficult to pin down to specific flavours. This wine is more to do with sensation as the palate feel is incredible. I do feel the 2015 has the slight edge and will become one of their best vintages over the past three decades however, there is something irresistibly special about the 2014.

97 Points – James Suckling

This is a very attractive and deceptively powerful chardonnay from a high-altitude site (500m) and one that delivers a latent, smouldering depth on the nose. Toasty, hazelnut-like oak breathes up through flinty complexity and a wealth of white peaches, melon, limes and grapefruit. The palate's super taut, really succulent and powerful, holding this thing tight for start to finish. Electrifying tension to this wine; new heights have been reached. Drink now to 2020+. 180 dozen produced.

Halliday Wine Companion Awards - Top Rated Chardonnay 2019

97 Points - James Halliday

The very close-planted vineyard adds an extra layer of power and complexity that one expects from the best Farr Chardonnays. The vintage, too, has played a role. This stands tall in the pantheon of top-end Aus chardonnays, planting its own stake in the ground through sheer length.

93 Points - Stuart McCloskey

Less intense than both the ’02 and ’07, however the palate is well-balanced on the entry with fine citrus lemon, grapefruit and just a hint of spice. Good weight and quite linear towards the finish but great persistency. Drinking now.

97 Points - James Halliday

The colour is still a pale quartz-green, the freshness excellent; the most remarkable part of this wine is its combination of finesse, length and intensity of varietal fruit flavour, in turn based on the laser etching of Tasmanian acidity. The drink to date may prove conservative.

95 Points - James Halliday

No mlf. A semillon-based white Bordeaux style. While already very complex, toasty and full-bodied, its acidity (left intact by the exclusion of mlf) slices through the palate like King Arthur's sword, and giving the illusion of green lemon and herb/green capsicum flavours. Will be fascinating to watch its development.

95 Points - James Halliday

Hand-picked, wild-fermented, matured in French oak for 10 months. Doesn't disavow its paternity indeed it embraces it with fruit, oak and acidity in a fluid line; flavours of stone fruit, fig and citrus each make their contribution, again respecting each others importance.

Made in a semidried, Vin Santo style where the grapes are handpicked at optimum ripeness and acid balance, they are then placed on racks and dried before crushing and fermenting. This wine has no botrytis or fortification. Sublimely sweet and rich, bursting with pure pear, pineapple and cream aromas and flavours. A refined acid structure balances the sweetness to give a lingering, velvety finish.