Is this Australia's best Chardonnay? If not then it shares the rarified air reserved for only the finest examples. Rich yet restrained, with mineral notes, cashew and almond meal, amazing fruit complexity and wonderful length...why not try the benchmark?

Farr Rising Chardonnay from one of Victoria's oldest wine regions, Geelong, is a rich complex example of a Chardonnay that is always built in layers, as deep as it is long fully and flavoured ripe. It has seamlessly absorbed the oak input.

Margaret River is a world renowned Chardonnay producing region and Pierro can rightfully stake a claim as to why. Incredibly complex, it is a tangle of fine-boned acid, lees complexity, pristine fruit and the most detailed use of good quality oak. Extremely enjoyable now, but will benefit from short to medium term cellaring.

As Australian Chardonnay continues its re-emergence, Vasse Felix Heytesbury is firmly leading the charge with its complex, modern style that has seen the winemaking team take home a cabinet full of trophies and gold medals in recent years. 100% wild yeast fermented and matured in French oak for only nine months, there is a power and persistence that is unmistakable. A flavour cavalcade of matchstick, citrus, white peach and grapefruit alongside a subtle toasty, nutty aspect from the sublime oak regime. The finish of this remarkable example will leave you in no doubt to this wines pedigree and ageability. Sheer classic.

What a magnificent wine! A pioneer in the modern Australian Chardonnay stakes, the Vat 47 from the Hunter Valley has a silky bouquet of melon stone fruit and creamy oak that is followed by a palate of extraordinary balance and length. An absolute classic and will only get better with some medium term ageing.

Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay displays an initial bouquet of slate and wet stone, with nuances of lightly roasted almonds. Subtle hints of citrus, shrouded by nectarine and nashi pear fruits. On the palate, a spiced multi-citrus compote with a very delicate acidity. Balanced and will develop exceptionally well with cellaring.

Sourced from dry-grown, hand tended vines in the north east of Victoria, this Beechworth Chardonnay from Savaterre will surely convince even the most hardened Chardonnay critic that modern Australian Chardonnay is of supreme world-class standard. Keppell Smith handcrafts a Chardonnay of utmost power and concentration that produces a length of flavour that borders on the immortal.

At Mount Mary they aim to make a Chardonnay of great length that is able to reach a balance between complexity & finesse. Unashamedly Burgundian in concept, local Yarra Valley practices are employed to fully express the unique terroir, including the wine not going through Malolactic fermentation as Mount Mary's cool-climate leaves the fruit with ideal acidity when picked. Matured in 20% new French barriques with the remainder in older barrels and large casks and along with grape solids, this is a Chardonnay of impressive texture and complexity.

The flagship white wine from Hardy's, the Eileen Hardy has become one of Australia's benchmark Chardonnays. Complex, elegant and very much cool climate in style it drinks superbly now and will only improve.

Domaine de Montille is one of the greatest Domaines in Burgundy and can be traced back to the middle of the 17th Century at Creancy with the Lords of Commeau. This is a wine that shows both its aristocratic heritage and the undeniable evidence of the quality of the whites in Beaune.