”… this is attractive if somewhat shy with its aromas and flavours – a hint of lemon, ginger cream and neat acidity.” (Toni Paterson, The Halliday Wine Companion. Born-and-bred Hunter Valley specialist, Aaron Mercer spent years at Tamburlaine, and had stints at Tyrrell’s and Brokenwood, before setting up on his own. He’s also worked in California, France and Germany so brings a great deal of experience to his winemaking, with a a great small-batch range from premium Hunter Valley sites, Orange and Tumbarumba – as here in this lovely 92pt Chardonnay. For Mercer, these wines are a passion project, only to be produced when great parcels of fruit come into the winery. They are built to be age-worthy and exemplary examples of a region.

Born-and-bred Hunter Valley specialist, Aaron Mercer spent years at Tamburlaine, and had stints at Tyrrell’s and Brokenwood, before setting up on his own. He’s also worked in California, France and Germany so brings a great deal of experience to his winemaking, with a a great small-batch range from premium Hunter Valley sites, Tumbarumba and Orange. This classy, gently oaked Hunter Chardonnay boasts fresh peach, vanilla, and pannacotta flavours and a nutty edge.

“Parishes", as Château Tanunda’s website describes it."... celebrates the heritage of our pre-eminent Australian wine regions, born from grape-growing communities as flavorsome as the wine they produce. Our carefully crafted drops embody exceptional regional character. “The Limestone Coast continues to push its reputation as one of the better regions in this country for one of the world’s most popular grapes, Chardonnay... appealing tropical notes with cashews and the merest hint of woodsmoke to add to the complexity. There is coiled power too, a seductive texture and good acidity with impressive length to finish.” Ken Gargett, Winepilot). "Delightfully styled and elegantly complex, the bouquet shows white flesh stone fruit, rockmelon, lemon zest and nougat aromas, followed by a beautifully rounded palate displaying creamy texture backed by bright acidity, finishing smooth and refreshing. At its best: now to 2027. 92pts (Sam Kim, Wine Orbit).

"Our single vineyard range represents the pinnacle of what we do at Mountadam Vineyards. Each wine is made from fruit selected from a single Estate block". In the 1860s a South Australian landowner Sir Samuel Davenport was given a cutting of “chardonuet” by a French horticulturist. Somehow the cutting came to be grown in the South Australian Governor’s summer residence, a property known as Marble Hill in the Adelaide Hills. The vines eventually came to the attention of renowned wine industry pioneer David Wynn, who took a cutting and propagated further vines at a nursery in Adelaide. He planted them out on a beautiful elevated site on his Mountadam vineyard in 1972, making these the oldest cool climate chardonnay vines in Australia. The clone no longer exists anywhere else in the world.