Mandala Chardonnay
Brilliant straw colour with a hint of green around the edges and watery hue. Intermeshed aromas of cashew, delicate white peach, biscuity oak, light toast and spice. Elegant with light to medium weight and excellent rounded creamy like textural qualities the palate possesses flavours of delicate white peach, cashew, nougat and spicy biscuity oak. Clean dry finish. Aftertaste of white peach, cashew and lightly toasted biscuity oak. Ageing: Drink over the next year. Food: Chinese steamed chicken.
Chandon Non-Vintage Rose
This is the Australian benchmark for bubbles in this price range and will hold its position as the ever-reliable party favourite. The Chandon Rose is pink in colour and delivers enticing aromas of freshly baked pastry and nougat along with spice notes and hints of cherry and ripe strawberry. The palate is multi-layered with mouth-filling red berry flavours complemented by toasty characters. A beautifully structured mid-palate is supported by savoury spice and fine creamy notes.
Coldstream Hills The Hills Pinot Gris
Founded by James Halliday, Yarra Valley's Coldstream Hills winery has a reputation for producing quality wine. The Pinot Gris displays gentle white flower perfume, almonds and white fleshed fruit. The palate is subtle, but plenty enough flavour, glossy lightly powdery texture, some crunch of green pear on a long finish. Beautifully turned out.
Coldstream Hills The Hills Chardonnay
Founded by James Halliday, Yarra Valley's Coldstream Hills winery has a reputation for producing quality wine. Their Chardonnay exhibits attractive regional characters of stone-fruit and citrus. An ideal accompaniment to white meat and pasta dishes.
Garagiste Le Stagiaire Chardonnay
Garagiste Le Stagiaire Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay
Le Stagiaire Chardonnay is drawn mostly from Garagistes Merricks vineyard, with the balance coming from Balnarring and Tuerong. Barney Flanders doesn't make these wines specifically for this labelall his ferments start out as potential single-vineyard wines, so the single-site wines are barrel selections, with the remaining wines bottled under Le Stagiaire. This provides some idea of how this label is able over-deliver, year in year out.
Airlie Bank Gris on Skins Yarra Valley
This is our first bottling from the bizarre 2020 vintage, which went from ridiculous to sublime. We had very small crops, early tannin ripeness and picked at low baumé. We avoided disease pressure in a very difficult year for that, and ended up with more transparency and freshness in the fruit than 2019. This year we were back to a 50:50 mix of skins and whole-bunch ferments. The skins ferment was 72 hours, with light hand-plunging every 12 hours during that time. The wine was pressed at 8 baumé to old puncheons. The whole-bunch ferment was on skins for 14 days, with carbonic maceration until some light pigeage on days 12 and 13. It was pressed to old puncheons to finish ferment. Both batches had two months in oak unsulphured. The wine was racked in early May, with minimal filtration and no finings. 40ppm of SO2 was added prior to bottling. This vintage we focused on prettiness with supporting notes of funk and bunch. There was no shortage of flavour about; itâs an intense year for that but also characterised by high natural acidity â perfect for skinsy styles, which can otherwise become a bit soapy. And of course Iâm very pleased with the colour, a perfect match for the new label⦠- Tim Shand, Punt Road
Red Claw Chardonnay
Yabby Lake's second label is most impressive; Chardonnay in the modern style - less oak and better acid structure. Textured and classy with matchbox flint, grapefruit and an extremely classy precision.
Yering Station Chardonnay
From the ever impressive Yering Station, this Chardonnay offers toasty barrel ferment characters, good supporting oak and ripe peach aromas leading to a textured and well rounded palate. One of the better value examples out there.
In Dreams Chardonnay
The Yarra Valley is one of the heavyweight regions for Australian Chardonnay, with finesse and length of flavour the hallmarks of the regional style. In the glass: Pale lemon green. On the nose: Apple, grapefruit, oatmeal and almond aromas. On the palate: Fine, elegant and poised yet with power and drive and a delicious core of white and yellow fruits. A savoury, almost salty layer adds complexity, velvety texture and racy acidity.