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.

Since the early 90's, Penfolds have been producing Chardonnay from the cool climate region of Tumbarumba. The Chardonnay is elegant with white florals, stone fruits and a great acidity structure. Maturation in French Oak gives the Bin 311 a subtle nutty savoury flavour through and through. A great all season wine for all sorts of occasions.

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.

Another outstanding wine from Sandro Mosele! Port Phillip Estate Chardonnay's aromas are complex with citrus subtle oak and hints of wild yeast. The flavours are generous and the rich mouthfeel is matched by crisp acidity.

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.

An elegant and restrained cool-climate style Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay has been at the forefront of the modern Australian Chardonnay renaissance. Displaying notes of nectarine and citrus underpinned by crisp acidity, it evolves over time to reveal layers of toasty, mealy complexity.

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.

This wine is pale straw in colour and shows subtle grapefruit, mineral and flint characters on the nose. The palate has flavours of citrus and melon with savoury notes and a long dry finish.

The trailblazers of the Adelaide Hills have created another outstanding wine. A superb expression of modern cool-climate Shiraz; Shaw & Smith is elegantly spicy and brimming with supple red-fruit flavours matched by fine tannins. An absolute ripper.

Sourced and grown in the Adelaide Hills, this is a fine example of how good Chardonnay from this region can be. This is a blend of 3 different cultivars of the Chardonnay grape. Bunch pressed and in part wild fermented. Partial malolactic fermentation imparts further complexity. A beautifully textured and complex wine.