Chardonnay

98+ Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (RobertParker.com)

The Clare Chardonnay is sourced from the Hyde Vineyard on the Napa Valley side of Carneros, planted to Old Wente clone vines that are now 22 years old. The 2015 Chardonnay Clare is a doppelganger for a great Meursault, featuring gloriously seductive pink grapefruit, lemon meringue pie and mandarin peel scents with hints of lime blossoms, fresh ginger, struck match and toasted almonds. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is super intense, with layer upon layer of electrically charged citrus and floral notes, framed by lively acid and a silken texture, finishing very long and very minerally. Wow!!

97+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2015 Chardonnay Estate Vineyard is another steely, concentrated, almost austere wine from the estate that’s going to demand cellaring. Dried herbs, citrus, white flowers, and salty minerality give way to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated, backward Chardonnay that has awesome potential, yet needs another year of bottle age.

 Decanter World Wine Awards: Gold 2017

Gold Medal – 2017 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships

Gold Medal – 2017 International Wine & Spirit Competition

99 Points - Stuart McCloskey
Extraordinarily left on the lees for 12 full years and disgorged June 2015. This is far from a New World gimmick - Mind-bogglingly brilliant and without question, the greatest sparkling wine outside of Champagne and better than many within. A sublime blend of 61% Chardonnay & 39% Pinot Noir which offers a profusion of aromatics and flavours. The wine delivers mouth-filling generosity with nutty honeycomb, toasted brioche, bread (a factor of the extended lees contact), toasted grains, caramel and citrus notes. I detect some ocean sea salinity which makes sense given the marine location. Clearly, the wines maturity is for all to see however, the purity and finesse is quite staggering. A towering masterpiece, riveting, difficult to share as several glasses is never enough and I honestly can't imagine it getting any better. Truly epic and the New World benchmark. Almost perfect! Served using Zalto universal. Only 2,200 bottles produced.

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.

90 Points - Antonio Galloni

The highlight in this range from Foxglove, the 2014 Chardonnay packs a serious punch for the money. Bright, juicy and exuberant, the Foxglove Chardonnay will thrill readers looking for a budget-priced Chardonnay. Lemon peel, white flowers and mint meld together in a rich, beautifully layered Chardonnay long on class. Aging in steel and blocked malolactic fermentation keep the flavors bright, but there is no shortage of depth or intensity. This is a fabulous wine, especially considering its modest price.

96 Points - James Suckling

One of the most complete and complex New Zealand chardonnays on release, this 2013 Bell Hill has beautifully judged reductive flintiness across grapefruit, peach and hazelnut aromas, not to mention lemon curd and wet stones. The palate's built around an arc of succulent and appealing acidity that draws concentrated fruit flavors in the lemon, grapefruit and peach spectrum long and even. A texturally flawless, great wine. Drink now to 2020+.

94 Points - Bob Campbell MW

The first Bilancia Chardonnay I have tasted. Fruit from La Collina vineyard and Bridge Pa Triangle. Indigenous yeast and 15 months in oak without fining or cold stabilisation. Attractive, elegant chardonnay with tight citrus, mineral, struck flint and savoury yeast lees and spicy oak flavours. A classy chardonnay with development potential.

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.

The wine has an amazing smoothness and calmness that stretches the length of the palate, surrounded with textured fruit and mineral elements. We have been playing with the fruit from these vineyards for more than 8 years, fine tuning the style of wine that these vineyards are producing. What a result once it all came together... By Farr Team