The grapes used to craft Warramate Chardonnay were whole bunch pressed, and fermented in French oak barrels and stainless steel. This led to the creation of a pale straw coloured wine with light green hues highlighting its edges. The attractive bouquet is dominated by intense aromas of orange blossom, lemon citrus peel and sea spray minerality. This enticing Chardonnay flaunts a crisp palate containing tangy grapefruit, white peach and citrus flavours, coupled with light saline notes. A firm acid line balances these vibrant characters to culminate in a focused and lengthy finish. Crafted to be relished upon release, this wonderful white wine can also be cellared for 5 years. It tastes great with vegetable terrines, steamed fish and risotto.

Sourced from the cooler North Eastern slope of the Denton View Hill. Whole bunch pressed, wild ferment, wild malo. Matured in French oak and stainless steel tank for 5 months and early bottling in Spring without fining or filtration.

Pacha Mama has put down roots, out in the sticks, amidst the vines of Yarra Glen. This Chardonnay celebrates its Yarra Valley home. It's vibrant, yet complex. There's a bit of fruit, burnt matchsticks mingle with melon and citrus. It's all about harmony and balance.

Punt Road Napoleone Chardonnay is a lovely cool climate Chardonnay sourced from the Yarra Valley, this wine shows citrus and stonefruit aromas with a creamy barrel ferment texture. Layers of peach and citrus flavours and a crisp acid finish. Incredible quality at this price.

This Yarra Valley Chardonnay was made from fruit sourced entirely from Medhurst Estate Vineyard. All fruit handpicked whole bunch pressed and fermented in French oak (10% new) where Indigenous fermentation in barrel lasting around one month. We decided to put one third of the blend through MLF to soften the natural acids in this cool and vibrant year. This adds depth and complexity to the pure stone fruit palate. The wine spent 5 months in oak before blending with full solids into tank. The wine was bottled with minimal filtration on August 30th, 2018. Bright pale straw with green hues, extremely vibrant and brilliant in the glass. The nose shows hints of grapefruit and stone fruit, both rich and flavoursome yet subtle. No real oak influence, but plenty of mealy, flinty notes. The palate is poised and powerful, showing off a benchmark Yarra Valley vintage. Again oak in the background it simply helps usher the beautiful pure fruit to the back of an effortless long and fine palate. This wine will look terrific over the medium term.

Pale straw-green with a super-fine bead. This is very composed and complex, the 6 years on lees producing an array of different notes, some related to fruit others to that extended lees ageing. Sourdough crust, buttery pastry, green apples, toast, candied peel, white pepper and lime leaf all vie for attention. The palate reflects these flavours but also reveals stone fruit notes and a green apple crunchiness. The finish dry and savoury, the lemon-citrus acidity teasing out the length. A complex, refined wine that has depth of flavour, weight, texture and above all freshness.

Toolangi is a state forest just outside Healesville that was devastated during Black Saturday. The excellent vineyards remain, and continue to produce wines of personality and place. The Chardonnay combines varietal characters of quince and crab apple with some delicious nutty oak nuances. Its great value.

Of all the premium white wines we sampled last year; it was the Soumah Hexham Chardonnay that rose to the top. This top class Yarra Valley Chardonnay features the perfect amount of oak and a moreish creaminess. Produced from small single vineyard plantings in the Warramate foothills of the Yarra Valley, Soumah Hexham Chardonnay is brilliant now but patience will be rewarded if cellared up to 5 years if you can keep your hands off it that long. One of the real movers and shakers of the industry in recent times, Soumah is without a doubt one to keep a very close eye on. This is a super complex and extremely alluring example. Produced from small single vineyard plantings in the Warramate foothills of the Yarra Valley, outstanding fruit quality works hand in hand with barrel derived complexities. This complexity around a mid to full bodied core lends its self just perfectly to seafood with the traditional butter sauce accompaniment.

Coldstream Hills has been consistently producing excellent Yarra Valley Chardonnay for years and if anything it keeps getting better. Stone fruit and grapefruit characters are supported by creamy nutty oak.