MULLINE Sutherlands Creek Chardonnay, Geelong 2021 Mulline (which rhymes with divine) was established by the two Bens, winemaker Ben Mullen and business manager Ben Hine, in 2018. Sutherlands Creek Chardonnay is a fragrant, fresh and lively wine with aromas of lemon and white peach followed by fine structure across the tongue with crisp, bright acidity.

Very fine persistent bead. Straw coloured and vibrant, fresh hue. Fruit aromas of pear flesh and grilled grapefruit intermingle with brioches and freshly baked sourdough. Light toasty elements and slight yoghurt notes add complexity and depth. The palate is creamy and textural with delicate web of acidity interwoven throughout. Cream, yeast, granny smooth apples and butter pastry flavours flow along before finishing with a preserved lemon-like tang.

Barrel fermented and aged in French Oak for 18 months, this wine displays a complex bouquet of citrus, honey, melon and nutmeg spice. Soft and elegant acid through the back bone of this wine along with mid palate creaminess bring a unique richness.

Mac has a long history in Yarra Valley, starting out at Mount Mary before honing his skills in Burgundy and then returning back to the Yarra to start his own project. The Mac Forbes villages range is a reflection of the incredible diversity of one of Australia’s premier wine regions, the Yarra Valley. Each one shows the terroir of the site, while being made with restraint and traditional winemaking techniques.

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.

Elanto Vineyard, a 10.6-hectare high-density site on the Mornington Peninsula, is managed by acclaimed winemaker Sandro Mosele and his team. With 11,000 vines per hectare—four times the typical density—yields are limited to 300-500g per vine, enhancing concentration and power in the wines. Organic practices, deep soil cultivation, and volcanic basalt soils rich in iron stone encourage site-specific expression, while the vineyard's southeast aspect and cool sea breezes preserve natural acidity and freshness. The three Chardonnay vineyards—Verge, Buckshot, and Seawinds—span 4 hectares on the lower slopes, where silt over clay transitions to lighter, gravelly soils rich in buckshot. The cool southerly airflow and soil profile preserve natural acidity and enhance mineral notes. Each vineyard was harvested and vinified separately, with hand-sorted fruit whole-bunch pressed directly into a mix of new and older French oak barriques for natural fermentation. After 10 months in barrel, the wine spent an additional two months in large concrete vats before bottling. Brilliant pale straw colour with a subtle glimmer of green around the outskirts and a watery hue. Intense white peach, nectarine and dried honey scents are complimented by delicate biscuity oak, citrusy nougat and subtle flinty mineral elements. Long and showing a Burgundy like refinement across the palate, flavours of white peach, nectarine and citrus are brimming with freshness. Rich and concentrated yet light on its feet, notions of biscuity nougat, dried honey, faint crème brulee, subtle cashew and delicate infusions of flinty minerals lend further complexity. Possessing outstanding power and a cool tone, it concludes long and finessed with a gentle creamy textural feel. Drink over the next 5-6 years. Alc. 13.5%

McHenry Hohnen is the quintessential family owned business with Murry McHenry and David Hohnen being brothers-in-law and the winemaking now being handled by David's son-in-law Ryan Walsh. With decades of Western Australian winemaking and selling history behind David and Murray the wines being produced are of utmost purity and subtlety. The Burnside Chardonnay is a relative recent addition to the range and is a funky, wild little number with attractive stone fruit characters that are balanced by a beautiful natural acidity.

This is a newer world style of Chardonnay showing the elegance of fresh cool climate. Once harvested, the fruit was whole bunch pressed with the un-clarified juice that was fermented with inoculated yeast in seasoned French Oak Barriques. The wine by Paringa Estate was barrel stirred fortnightly during the eleven months of maturation and was sulphured early to retain fruit freshness & prevent malolactic fermentation. The bouquet of this wine is a mix nectarine, citrus/orange and complex sulphide solids aromas. The palate has similar fresh citrus & nectarine fruit flavours along with fine acidity. Chardonnay fruit combined with the complexity of barrel fermentation & maturation.

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.

Nectarine and white peach, textured mid palate, acid and oak to close.