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?

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%

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.