Medium straw in colour this wine by Sidewood displays lifted white peach, fig, pear and pistachio nuts on the nose. This barrel fermented Adelaide Hills Chardonnay offers superbly structured characters. It is tight and lean, laced with citrus lime and tropical fruit characters. Some lovely subtle complexities from careful oak maturation on lees include nutmeg, sage spice and pistachio flavours which linger on the after taste. A lovely crisp wine now, that will benefit from some short term cellaring once bottled. Serve with Asian style broth, mushroom based dishes or Lobster bisque is a great match to this Chardonnays complexity in flavour, but finesse in structure.

The Philip Shaw No.11 Chardonnay is produced from high altitude vineyards in a region firmly claiming its rightful place at the table of great Chardonnay regions, Orange of NSW. A brilliant combination of flavours of citrus and honey dew and a great sense of minerality with a firm focus on low crops and supreme site selection.

From the Singlefile vineyard in the Denmark sub-region on the Great Southern, this is a modern styled. lightly oaked chardonnay showing grapefruit and white peach aromas and sublte oak. The palate displays citrus and stone fruit with a soft creamy finish.

Grosset's Watervale Riesling is a fresh, zesty Riesling full of character and flavour. The nose gives lemon, lime and orange rind with a touch of minerally freshness. The palate has concentrated zesty flavours with crisp acidity leading to a long lemony finish.

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.

Petaluma Croser is one of the true premium quality sparklings produced in Australia. This Croser is subtle and refined on the nose and supported by lovely melony fruit on the palate and a clean crisp finish. Sourced from fruit high in the Adelaide Hills, Croser is the perfect aperitif style sparkling.

Attractive stone fruit and citrus aromas with complexity from maturation on fermentation lees. The palate is fine and long with persistent flavour supported by oak structure and length. Will drink well over the next 5 years.

The wines of Fraser Gallop Estate are intensely flavoured, textured and complex. Only the finest quality French oak barrels are used for all Fraser Gallop Estate wines, with very specific Bordelais coopers used for the Cabernet Sauvignon and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends, and Burgundian coopers for the Chardonnay. The complete winemaking process takes place at the estate - picking to vinification to barrel maturation to bottling to cellaring. Fraser Gallop Estate is an estate grown, produced and bottled wine. Flavours of lemon curd and grapefruit with searing length. A wine with clarity and finesse. A tightly focussed and very precise wine showing seamless fruit purity with the lightly toasted French oak very much in the background. Crystalline acidity and a mouth-watering finish complete this Chardonnay.

Grosset Springvale Riesling from the Clare Valley sub-region of Watervale, takes its name from the Springvale Road vineyard located in the highest part of Watervale. Jeff Grosset's six hectare vineyard produces a wine full of ethereal aromatics, fragrant lemongrass and freshly squeezed lime. Pure lemon flavours over wet pebbles show on the palate that is accented by the wonderful minerality that is the signature of Grosset.

The 2008 marks the 25th anniversary of Dalwhinnie Chardonnay in the Pyrenees in western Victoria, and the wine is still not missing a beat. With less oak used now than in previous vintages, the wine exhibits magnificent citrus and mineral flavours and aromas with a delicate honey flavour notes and texture. A truly elegant wine.

Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay, Hawkes Bay The lions share of Trinity Hills grapes comes from the Gimblett Gravels region, in the lee of Roys Hill. The gravelly soils were left behind by the Ngaruroro River as it changed course over time. The low fertility soils offer little kindness to the vines, forcing them to work and work to produce small crops of great flavour and aromatic concentration. The low fertility soils offer little kindness to the vines, forcing them to work and work to produce small crops of great flavour and aromatic concentration. The Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay shows a tight structure and shape, intensity and finesse.