2020 Cherubino Chardonnay, Pemberton
A delicate structure to this lightly-oaked wine allows its gentle intensity to shine. Beautifully balanced and fine with a seamless palate and a very long finish, it is modern in style with complexity and grace. larrycherubino.com
2020 Craggy Range Kidnappers Vineyard Chardonnay, Hawke’s Bay
From one of the best vintages of this vineyard in recent memory, this wine exhibits great complexity with nashi pear, roasted almonds and citrus tones. The palate is fresh with pithy grapefruit texture and cashew underpinned by persistent acidity. craggyrange.com
2018 Handpicked Wombat Creek Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
Wombat Creek is the Yarra Valley’s most elevated site, making it uniquely situated for premium cool-climate wines. This wine shows zesty grapefruit pith, lemon verbena and grilled nuts with layers of struck match and fine French oak. handpickedwines.com.au
2019 Hoddles Creek Syberia Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
Sourced from the steepest, highest block at Hoddles Creek, the Syberia chardonnay row is planted east-west and doesn’t experience much direct sunlight. The wine is whole-bunch pressed straight to cask, with no fining or filtration. hoddlescreekestate.com.au
2018 Howard Park Allingham Chardonnay, Margaret River
Made from the best blocks of the Allingham Vineyard in the Karridale subregion, this is a deep and intensely aromatic and varietal wine. Chalk-like acidity allows the flavours to build and linger. howardparkwines.com.au
2019 Medhurst Estate Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
The grapes are handpicked from this low yielding unique Yarra Valley site. The wine has a highly complex nose with subtle hints of grapefruit, white peach and spice. The palate is a charming balance of flint and fine creaminess. medhurstwines.com.au
2020 Novum Chardonnay, Marlborough
The fruit for this wine comes from a chardonnay block planted entirely with the Mendoza clone in Marlborough’s central Wairau Plains. From an outstanding vintage, it shows great fruit purity with tight, lemon-fresh acidity and soft, textural interest on the mid-palate. novumwines.co.nz
2020 Ponting Tasmanian Chardonnay, Tasmania
Sourced exclusively from the Tamar Valley, where Ricky Ponting spent his youth, this vibrant chardonnay is full of citrus, stone fruit and pear aromas and flavours balanced by nutty oak. pontingwines.com.au
2019 Seville Estate Reserve Chardonnay, Yarra Valley
Handpicked and whole bunch pressed before fermentation in barrel (30% new oak), this wine opens with aromas of white flowers and stone fruits framed by a flinty lees reduction. Natural acidity adds focus to a palate of elegance
and complexity. sevilleestate.com.au
2019 Streicker Chardonnay, Margaret River
From Striecker’s Ironstone Vineyard in Wilyabrup, this wine shows aromas of grapefruit, roasted nuts and white pear. The palate is in the stone fruit spectrum, with French oak balanced by fine tannin and minerality. clairaultstreickerwines.com.au
2021 Vinden Single Barrel Chardonnay, Hunter Valley
Sourced from the fine sandy soils of Pokolbin’s Somerset Vineyard, this refined chardonnay is tightly coiled with a core of natural acidity, subtle oak and generous mid-palate weight and texture. vindenwines.com.au
2019 Voyager Estate Chardonnay, Margaret River
This fine-boned, contemporary take on Margaret River chardonnay, from Voyager Estate’s vineyards in southern Margaret River, is bright with fresh citrus, white florals and a clean, saline mineral edge. It boasts elegance and balance. voyagerestate.com.au