Brown Brothers Patricia Chardonnay is an elegant style balancing natural acidity with intense fruit flavour. Named in honour of Patricia Brown, the fruit for this exceptional white wine consists of 57% from the Brown Brothers Whitlands vineyard and the balance from Coombe Farm vineyard located in the Yarra Valley. The Yarra Valley experiences cool ripening conditions just like the Whitlands vineyard. The vineyard selection contributes to a tight style with wonderful fig and mealy characters typical of a cool climate Chardonnay.

Whole bunch pressing, wild ferment in new French oak have come together in spectacular fashion. This Indigo Chardonnay by Brokenwood was fermented in 30% new French oak and the balance older, from a variety of cooperages. A fine textured palate with bright lime/citrus acidity. Modern Australian Chardonnay at its best.

Mark Walpole (who began his viticultural career with Brown Brothers in the late 1980s) and partner Carolyn De Poi found their elevated north-facing site south of Beechworth in 1995. They commenced planting the Aquila Audax Vineyard in 97 with cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir, subsequently expanding with significant areas of sangiovese, tempranillo, shiraz, petit manseng and chardonnay. In 2009 they were fortunate to lease the oldest vineyard in the region, planted by the Smith family in 1978 to chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.

Chris Catlow of Sentio Wines has great skill in making Chardonnay, having spent five vintages with Benjamin Leroux in Burgundy and seven on the Mornington Peninsula. Sourced from a selection of premium Beechworth vineyards Chris allows the fruit to express itself without overbearing winemaking. Stone fruit, citrus, spice, minerality with a touch of honeysuckle. All the intensity one expects from Beechworth Chardonnay with great precision and purity.

Occasionally, when rare parcels of particularly outstanding Beechworth grapes become available, Savaterre's wine maker Keppell Smith likes to create something unique, like this Chardonnay, and bottle it under Savaterre's Frere Cadet (Younger Brother) label. These wines are created with the same attention to detail that goes into their premium Savaterre label.

A light straw colour with a fine persistent bead. The nose is lifted with a rich yeast autolysis character and hints of citrus and apple. The palate is full bodied, complex and rich with prominent lemon and lime flavours and a bready character that lingers. The palate is creamy and elegant with a crisp, dry finish and refreshing acidity.

The Beechworth terroir has a distinctive fruit character of pear/peach fruit. The oak has minimal impact by using older French oak and mainly puncheons. The warm year has meant less citrus lift but has bran meal notes from the wild ferment and extended lees contact. The palate is quite rich with zesty acid line through to the finish. Drinking well now but will improve with further bottle age. Maybe leave the 2012 and 2013 for a couple more years and enjoy this in its place. Enjoy with Seafood to light meats.

Chris Catlow of Sentio Wines has great skill in making Chardonnay, having spent five vintages with Benjamin Leroux in Burgundy and seven on the Mornington Peninsula. Sourced from the famed Stuart Smith vineyard, Chris allows the fruit to express itself without overbearing winemaking. Stone fruit, honeysuckle, white flowers and a touch of spice. All the intensity one expects from Beechworth Chardonnay with great precision and purity.

A classic Beechworth Chardonnay, straw-gold with a green tinge: aromas of hazelnut, yellow peach, and nuances of matchstick mingled with spicy-oak notes of ginger and orange zest; the attack is full of rich, peach and nectarine fruit flavours.

A fine and quite flinty modern expression of Margaret River Chardonnay. Finer and leaner it might be in some ways, but the unmistakable power and persistence of the region still triumphs. Complex mealy grapefruit and roasted nut characters on the nose, and a deep and richly intense palate power through to the finish.