Chardonnay

18 / 20 Raymond Chan

Bright straw-yellow colour with some depth, lighter on the edge. The nose is softly full and gently up-front and voluminous with aromas of yellow stonefruits in an amalgam with white peaches and a subtle mealy and nutty overlay. Medium-full bodied, the palate is stylishly up-front with flavours of ripe yellow stonefruits and peaches with nutty and savoury mineral interest. The mouthfeel has fruit richness lending rounded textures and plenty of presence...

 Decanter World Wine Awards: Bronze 2017

90 Points - Luis Gutierezz (erobertparker.com)

The just-bottled, screw-capped 2016 Felino Chardonnay was quite impressive. It's now produced exclusively with grapes grown in the Valle de Uco and was cropped from an unusual wet and cold growing season. It fermented with indigenous yeasts with full malolactic, with 15% of the volume put into neutral French oak barrels and bottled seven months after the harvest. It's very fresh and varietal, with a nose that mixes white flowers and fruit and a balsamic twist. The palate is fresh and sharp, elegant with very clean flavors, showcasing the minerality of the soils. Is this the finest Felino Chardonnay to date?

* Available from week beginning 30th April 2018 *

This fruit driven unoaked Chardonnay has been produced using premium grapes from the Margaret River region. The wine exhibits the classic varietal Chardonnay aromas of peaches and citrus. On the palate, vibrant notes of stone fruit are complemented by fresh grapefruit characters and a creamy, nutty soft finish.

91 Points - Luis Gutierrez (erobertparker.com)

There is great purity and precision, a sharp Chardonnay with very little effect of the oak, just a spicy twist, a wine that incites you to drink with effervescent acidity that makes you salivate and cleanses your palate. Great, sharp Chardonnay.

Award winning Chardonnay, 95 Points from James Halliday and Trophy at the International Cool Climate Wine Awards

95 Points - James Halliday "Estate-grown, hand-picked, wild yeast barrel-fermented, matured in a mix of new and used French oak for 8 months, mlf allowed in the new oak. The complex vinification has worked well, the mlf component introducing touches of fig and cream to offset the white peach and grapefruit of the major part of the wine. The overall length and balance can't be faulted."

"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." Antonio Galloni

95 Points - James Halliday

From the coolest sites accessed by Deep Woods in the region, wild-fermented in new and used oak. Grapefruit flavours ride high and wide on a palate with crunchy acidity and an afterthought of oak completing the picture.

93 Points - James Suckling

Showing impressive purity and focus right from the very first impression, this provides flinty lemons, yellow grapefruit and peach and melon fruits that all sit in perfect, harmonious layers on the nose. The palate's assertively flavored, meanwhile, with lemons, peaches and pineapple, as well as hints of creamed honey and just the right acid balance, which allows this wine to sit long and fresh. Oak is a mere subtext here; it's all about pure, fresh fruit.

93 Points - James Suckling.com (Monday, November 13, 2017)

A blend of six parcels this wine embodies the signature style of rich, ripe peach fruits and toasty oak warmth on the nose (20% new). The palate fuses ripe citrus and stone fruits together in a powerful, fresh and balanced mode. This is a trademark of Brajkovich – he embraces chardonnay's richness and delivers energy and flavor. Drink now.

92 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2015 Estate Chardonnay is more open-knit and less taut than the single vineyard wines, with an expressive nose of ripe nectarines, pink grapefruit and guava, plus underlying notes of baking bread and ginger. Medium-bodied, it offers richness and good depth in the mouth with a an approachable, refreshing backbone and great harmony.

93+ points – Stuart McCloskey

Currently more Burgundy than Oregon but a further 12 to 24 months bottle age will bring this Chardonnay back home. Reticent at first, but then unfurling with a little aeration with subtle mineral notes, spice and flint. There seems more tension than previous vintages. I imagine richer notes will emerge over the course of the next 3-5 years.

96 Points - James Halliday

91 points – David Schildknecht (erobertparker.com)

The Eyrie 2011 Chardonnay is dominated by bright, juicy grapefruit and lime tinged with their piquant pips as well as with saliva-liberating salinity. Straight and penetrating as an arrow; amazingly buoyant (but then, there’s only 11.7% alcohol!). A streak of salinity serves to enhance the mouthwateringly sustained and invigorating finish. This outstanding value is apt to remain riveting through at least 2020 – a prognostication I venture with plenty of track record to back it up.

94 Points - James Suckling.com  (Monday, November 13, 2017)

Peach fruit aromas are at their seductive best here. The warmth of sweetly spicy and toasty oak adds plenty of interest, too. Masses of fleshy, palate-soaking presence in the mouth, while acid zips around below like an underground rail network, unseen and yet essential to everything working. The phenolics are spot on. Lemon cream finish. Drink now.

91+ Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2015 Coddington Chardonnay is youthfully muted with subtle suggestions of lemon curd, lime leaves and grapefruit peel plus a yeasty, toasty, cedary waft. Light to medium-bodied, fine, fresh and delicate in the mouth, it delivers good citrus and yeasty notes.

98+ Points Stuart McCloskey 

A perfect introduction to the delights and complexity of real white Burgundy, this is mainly Côte d'Or fruit, together with some from the Maconnais. Fresh with lovely weight, delicate creaminess and judicious oak, making this a beautifully balanced dry white wine. 

95 Points - James Suckling.com (Monday, November 13, 2017)

Very citrus-focused nose with overtly minerally crushed stony notes. Some sweet fermentation-derived leesy florals, too. An extremely distinctive wine in the set of single site Kumeu chardonnays. The palate continues the flinty, mineral theme, with chiselled shape and pithy grapefruit bitterness that really smacks the finish into place. Drink now.

95 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

The 2015 Hunting Hill Chardonnay displays a youthful restraint, yet nonetheless delivers an exciting array of stone fruit, pink grapefruit, ginger and marzipan notes with subtle hints of orange blossoms, crushed stones and lightly buttered toast. Medium bodied and tightly woven, is has a lively backbone supportting the generous flavor layers, finishing with great length and depth. As usual - just gorgeous.

* Available from week beginning 30th April 2018 *

93+ Points - Stuart McCloskey

This sensational St Aubin is beautifully balanced, delivering a poised and rounded palate with crunchy fruit and lively core acidity. It is clean with the pure fruit character of lemon and stone fruit shining through and on the finish a hint of spice. This is a serious wine with no shortage of minerality and will evolve and improve for a few years to come.

96 Points - James Halliday

Margaret River and Chardonnay go hand in hand, but the expressions of this variety across the region are many and varied. The Flowstone Queen of the Earth Chardonnay is from one tiny patch of vines in the southern reaches of the region.

91 Points - Luis Gutierrez (erobertparker.com)

The 2015 Bramare Chardonnay Marchiori Vineyard was sourced from 19-year-old vines in the Marchiori Vineyard in Perdriel, Luján de Cuyo. The hand-harvested clusters were pressed and the juice fermented with indigenous yeasts, with spontaneous malolactic and an élevage of one year in 50/50 new and used French oak barrels. This is always a ripe Chardonnay with pit fruit and yellow flower aromas, hints of honey and beeswax. The palate is round and lush, with nice ripe fruit and very tasty flavors.

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."

  Decanter WWA 2017: Platinum: Best NZ Chardonnay

 International Wine Challenge: Silver 2017

97 Points - Bob Campbell 

 Decanter World Wine Awards: Silver 2017

94 points – Antonio Galloni

Golden straw in colour with a burst of lemon on the nose and hints of pine freshness. On the palate, the citrus is matched with a crème-brulee creaminess rounding things out nicely to create a rich and decadent wine with a crisp edge.

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.

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98 points – James Halliday "From Tasmania, the Yarra Valley and Tumbarumba. Gleaming straw-green; manages to effortlessly combine power and intensity with elegance and glorious varietal fruit expression. White stone fruit is at the very heart of a palate that aspires to perfection. Quality French oak and minerally acidity play their parts, albeit largely forgotten in the wealth of fruit."

* Available from week beginning 30th April 2018 *

98 Points - James Halliday Top 100 2017 

95 Points - Antonio Galloni

The 2014 Chardonnay Bien Nacido is all about precision, class and nuance. Even with all of the richness of the year coming through, the Bien Nacido retains superb precision and detail. The oily, waxy feel only adds to the wine's weight and overall texture. Chanin's Bien Nacido emerges from Chardonnay grafted onto Riesling rootstock that was originally planted in 1973 in the W-Block.

95 Points - Antonio Galloni  

Liquid Farm's 2014 Chardonnay La Hermana shows the class and pedigree of Santa Maria in its layered, deep personality. Bright and intensely saline, the 2014 really pops with intensity and flavor. Lemon peel, grapefruit, graphite, mint, white pepper and chalk notes build into the tense, vibrant finish. This is an especially vivid, expressive Chardonnay. La Hermana brings together fruit from Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills, two of the most pedigreed sites in Santa Maria.

99 Points - Stuart McCloskey

The 2014 Chanin Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay has a terrific purity and class. With aromas and flavours of white peach, stone fruits, white flowers and toasted bread it is elegant and balanced, with both richness and freshness - a classic, and beautifully made Chardonnay.

95 points – Bob Campbell

Unusually rich, fleshy Chardonnay in a mouth-filling and accessible style that makes a change from the rather more steely wine I expect under this label. Quite oaky with ginger, ripe peach, tree fruits and a hint of honey. A real surprise.

94 Points - Antonio Galloni

The 2013 Chardonnay Golden Slope is incredibly inviting, with superb balance between some of its more overt, oily textures and the underlying minerality that lies in the background. A host of white orchard fruit, apricot, honey and spice nuances open up as this plush, silky Chardonnay shows off its alluring, racy personality.

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.

92+ Points - Antonio Galloni 

92 points – Antonio Galloni

The 2014 Chardonnay Holly's Cuvée is a blend of the three Chardonnays made under the Varner label. Candied lemon peel, orange, mint and honeyed notes give the Holly's its rich, luscious personality. Drink this open-knit, generous Chardonnay over the next handful of years. The 2014 is a blend of 75% Bee Block, 20% Amphitheater Block and 5% Block.

93 Points - Antonio Galloni

The 2014 Chardonnay Amphitheater Block wraps around the palate with striking depth. Creamy, ample and expressive, the Amphitheater is all about texture. Orange peel, mint, graphite, candied lemon and sweet floral notes abound in this deeply nuanced Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay. There is a lot to like here.

95 Points - Antonio Galloni

Varner's Chardonnay Amphitheater Block is rich, ample and super-expressive. Lemon peel, almonds, chamomile, earthiness, dried apricot and sage meld together effortlessly. The 2013 Amphitheater is a classic Varner Chardonnay built on phenolic intensity and plenty of savory/floral notes that add nuance, while the fruit is pushed a bit into the background.

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck (erobertparker.com)

Another sensational effort for these two brothers, the 2014 Chardonnay Home Block Spring Ridge Vineyard reveals more minerality, as well as medium to full-bodied richness, terrific purity and classic, tropical aromas and flavors. Expansive, gorgeously textured and balanced, drink this beauty over the coming 5-7 years.

97 Points - James Suckling

Made from original 1969 plantings and 1980 cuttings from the original vines at Yarra Yering. A highly individual style, reflecting its single vineyard origin A little ginger cream spice and texture from barrel maturation and fermentation add layers, depth and intrigue while the fresh line of acidity drives the palate prolonging the fruit flavour.

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.

92 Points - Antonio Galloni

The 2013 Chardonnay Estate is classy, understated and polished. Lemon peel, yellow orchard fruit, mint and a gentle hint of spice open up in the glass. A hint of reduction typical of the Ridge Chardonnays is present, which means readers should either cellar the 2013 for at least a few years or give it a good deal of aeration. There is a lot to like in this delicate, delineated Chardonnay from Ridge.

94 points - Mike Bennie, The Wine Front

The original site, and for Nick Farr the most pronounced in intensity. It’s where the deeper, more porous limestone is found in that hungry looking estate. Planted 1994. About a third new oak. Mellow wine of elegance, austerity, freshness and cool feel. Nougat whiffs on white flesh stone fruits, citrus, fern leaves, faint spice. Meshed oak spice in clean, fine boned stone fruit and mineral feel. Understated, complex, so fine. Wonderful wine.

98 Points - James Suckling 

The structure and length of this white highlights its greatness. Full body, yet tight and structured with a superb linear backbone of ripe fruit and fine phenolic tension. Cream, stone, flint and apple. All about refined texture.

95 Points - Bob Campbell

A leaner and more elegant style than the usual blockbuster Pegasus Bay style but with at least as much complexity. Quite Burgundy-like with lovely toasted nut, brioche, mineral, citrus and spicy oak flavours, Very long. Good now but will age well.

95 Points - James Suckling.com (Monday, November 13, 2017)

Very citrus-focused nose with overtly minerally crushed stony notes. Some sweet fermentation-derived leesy florals, too. An extremely distinctive wine in the set of single site Kumeu chardonnays. The palate continues the flinty, mineral theme, with chiselled shape and pithy grapefruit bitterness that really smacks the finish into place. Drink now.

96 Points - Robert Parker

The 2013 Chardonnay Chloe, which comes from two great vineyard sources, the Ritchie and Lorenzo, was treated similarly in terms of its aging 12 months on its lees, then four months in tank. Good acidity buttresses a relatively full-throttle, big, rich, honeyed wine, with plenty of apple blossom, orange marmalade, and pineapple notes. There is some underlying minerality as well. This should also drink well for at least a decade.