The long, balmy ripening seasons of Margaret River give rise to intense varietal characters in wine grapes. Ashbrook are well positioned to deliver a perfectly balanced and highly flavoursome, delicately wooded Chardonnay, enhanced through a course of barrel ferments in high quality French oak and an extended period of lees contact, translating into a wine of richness and complexity.

$2999each $357DOZEN EACH DOZEN Ashbrook Estate is the archetypal Margaret River boutique winemaking estate. The dedicated team strive to achieve perfect balance between parcels of the highest quality Chardonnay and treatments in fine French oak. Ultimately the wine remains essentially driven by fruit, maintaining sound structue and clear definition. Grapes are picked fully ripe and in excellent condition, displaying attractive varietal characters. Components are fermented and stored in new French oak barriques over the course of several months without any battonage or malolactic, preserving the distinctive expression of Margaret River.

Light straw yellow hue. Intense bouquet of varietal fruit, rich peach, melon aromas and light oak characters. A long flavoursome palate displaying strong and complex fruit flavours. It's virile aromatics and engaging palate is matched by substantial textures and luxuriant barrel ferment flavours, grapefruit and vanillan, cashews, nutmeg and clove. Powerful flavours suggest the wine will be excellent with a range of flavoursome dishes, shellfish, white meats and tempura.

Craighall is widely considered to be a New Zealand flagship. An ultra fine expression of Chardonnay, crafted from the tiny Mendoza clone, hand picked off thirty year old vines and treated to traditional old world winemaking techniques. Flawlessly balanced with vigorous fruit, vibrant minerality and a long, seamless finish.

$4999each $597DOZEN EACH DOZEN Vinified predominantly from fruit grown to very low yielding Mendoza clones planted on the neighbouring Craighall property over twenty years ago. Hand picked grapes are whole bunch pressed through a Willmes membrane. Indigenous yeasts are employed to fully ferment the freshly pressed, unsettled juice at temperatures of 15ºC to 20ºC in a combination of new and used Burgundian oak barriques. These wild yeasts slow the onset and duration of ferments, achieving a textural, multi faceted wine. Lees stirring is employed to enhance complexity and vinosity. Some components are treated to malolactic and ferments are arrested as requisite balance is reached. Aged in barrel on lees for nine months.

Bright, light straw colour. Aromas of nectarine, white peach and delicate grapefruit blossom are full of promise even before the first sip. A very fine entry opens out to a silky, supple mid palate, a simply delicious spread of flavours and weight of fruit. Enticing, freshly baked, old fashioned apple pie scents, irresistible. A creamy, mealy character further fills out the perfectly balanced palate.

Distinguished Langtons Classification. Bannockburn release a Chardonnay each year that accurately and faithfully reflects the merits of an exceptional terroir. This is far from easy, it is only achieved through dedication and resolve.

$4499each $537DOZEN EACH DOZEN Bannockburn manage some of the finest Chardonnay vines in Australia, dry grown and over thirty years of age. Techniques employed to vinify the superlative fruit follow the traditions of Burgundy, everything is done with thought and care, never compromising on quality. Organic practices and extended maceration before a fastidious barrel selection achieve a wine that's exciting and complex. Grapes are inoculated to indigenous yeasts and barrel fermented in a selection of French Allier oak barriques at natural temperatures followed by a spell on sedimentery lees to promote malolactic, a softening and enrichening process which infuses the wine with a rich middle palate and old world characters of butter and cashew.

Pale, straw colour with hints of green. Complex nose displaying chalky minerality, almond meal, grapefruit pith and a creamy biscuit character derived from extended lees contact. The palate is very long with a lovely texture and weight. A hint of creaminess from some malo-lactic involvement. The palate is full without being broad, tight without being austere. Wonderful back palate persistence and structure, the wine goes on and on, a lovely, long, textural finish.

French influences abound at Bannockburn, where Sauvignon Blanc draws inspiration from Sancerre, the emphasis being on elegance and depth of flavour. This is definitely not another boring, grassy, single dimension style.

$2699each $321DOZEN EACH DOZEN From fruit grown to two estate vineyard blocks, one bearing vines over twenty years of age, the other slightly younger, both are low yielding. The maritime influenced climes surrounding the Bannockburn vineyards make for cool and stable ripening, combined with unique soils, providing sensational conditions for growing excellent Sauvignon Blanc. Each site enjoys it's own mesoclimate, the most recent planting consisting of new French clones with greater vine density. Grapes are hand picked in two batches, the majority are vinified in tank to retain vital fruit expression, the smaller component is treated to barrel ferments in small French oak casks with extended lees contact.

Clear, bright appearance, a yellow straw colour and hints of green. The nose is quite complex with the classic mineral, cassis and Loire Valley gunflint characters. Fragrant honey and interesting smoky fume scents from the Italian Acacia puncheons. Good weight and texture on the middle palate before assertive acidity drives through the wine, providing excellent length and persistence.

McWilliams have long been sourcing fruit from Tumbarumba for some of their most memorable vintages. It has taken many years of devoted viticulture and dedication to the land before arriving at 842 Chardonnay. This prolific award winner is the flagship white from Tumbarumba's highest plantings, crafted from fruit grown at an altitude of 842 metres. The driving inspiration for the team is to create a truly cool climate, elegant style of Chardonnay which offers engaging complexity while remaining true to the expression of Tumbarumba's lofty terroir.

$3199each $381DOZEN EACH DOZEN Tumbarumba's cool winters and low temperatures encourage the grapes to ripen slowly, allowing maximum flavour accumulation. Chardonnay is sourced from sites and aspects across the undulating highlands of Tumbarumba, each parcel remains separate until the final assemblage. Fruit is cold settled and pressed, minimal contact with skins extracts maximum delicate flavour with low phenolic. Batches are vinified in a mix of fermenters and French oak, parcels remain in barrel on light yeast during a thorough battonage program to achieve complexity. Components are aged a year or more before a rigorous sampling and assessment to determine the final wine.

Pale straw hue. Intense nectarine, white peach and lime citrus dominate the aromatics, secondary characters of rock melon and honeydew, all supported by cashew nut nuances, wrapped around gun flint and intriguing wild ferment notes. The wonderful granite soils of Tumbarumba have provided a wine of immense structure and amazing intensity. High concentrations of fruit show through on the palate which is superbly balanced by creamy, textural layers. A wonderfully long, intense palate which finishes fresh and clean.

Sourced from vines planted in 1988 to quartz alluvial and volcanic soils on the lower slopes of Bindi. The site is special, increasingly low impact, organic outcomes are implemented, production varies from 300 to 600 dozen each vintage.

$4499each $537DOZEN EACH DOZEN Composition Chardonnay is grown to a 1½ hectare plot. Fastidious small vineyard management regimes are employed, hand pruning, frequent passes, at least ten for each vine, vertical shoot positioned canopies and hand harvesting. Composition is fermented in a selection of new and seasoned French oak barrels, some are inoculated with cultured yeast, others are vinified without any addition of yeasts. The fermented wine is lees stirred every week over winter and treated to a quarter of malolactic conversion. The wine is racked around eight months after vintage and returned to barrel for a further three months before bottling. Composition spends just under eleven months in barrel, ten on sedimentery lees.

Light straw gold colour. The nose is fine and quite complex, floral and gently spiced with a delicious mealy, pulp mineral Chardonnay fragrance. An intense, mineral wine fully ripe but lean, taught and intense with savory, creamy elements. The fruit complexities range through white peaches and nectarine, lemons, grapefruit and nashi pear. The palate is fresh and intense, walking the line of mouth filling textures combined with delicacy and finesse, a beautifully fine and flavoursome wine. Composition can characterized by it's fragrant notes of orange blossom, nectarine stone, spice and subtle nuttiness over a vibrant, tight and lengthy palate highlighted by clean acidity, wonderful texture and superb length.

Bream Creek are owned and operated by one of Tasmania's leading viticulturalists. The hand managed vines are grown to salubrious soils on one of the most spectacular coastal locations in Tasmania. The estate's focus is to produce small quantities of pristine fruit which can be vinified into wines which capitalise on the stunning flavours that originate from predominantly old vines. The stirling efforts of Bream Creek are crafted to drink beautifully on release. Chardonnay is treated to partial malolactic fermentation and lees stirring to achieve texture and elegance.

$2699each $321DOZEN EACH DOZEN Bream Creek were one of the first commercialy operated vineyards in Tasmania. Their fastidiously husbanded vines consistently produce low yields of the highest quality grapes. The original consortium established five hectares of vines in 1973 which included some of Tasmania's earliest plantings of Chardonnay. The property enjoys a cool frost free spring, long sunny summer days with sea breezes and an extended autumn ripening period. Surrounded by neighbouring forest and windbreaks, the vineyard is nicely sheltered from strong and cold winds, perfect for producing crisp cool climate wines. Crop yields are kept very modest, the focus being on small berries and small bunches.

Bright pale straw in colour. The bouquet boasts white nectarine and peach with some subtle citrus characters. The palate is tightly structured with good texture and an array of spicy tropical fruit combined with freshly baked bread. Judicious use of oak combines to produce elegance with a long, firm, refreshing finish. Enjoy alongside crackling roast pork or seafood, pasta or poultry.

Chardonnay flourishes in the Adelaide Hills where the fruit can realize it's full potential. Located in Balhannah, Lenswood, Forreston and the Piccadilly Valley, the hand tended Bridgewater Mill Vineyards are all over fifteen years old. The unique combination of a chilly climate, diverse soils and natural elevation, all play a major part in making Bridgewater Mill so special. Dominated by varietal fruit, complex and layered through careful vineyard selection and purposeful winemaking techniques, to best express a focused regional wine.

$2499each $297DOZEN EACH DOZEN Premium Chardonnay fruit from the warmer fringes to the coolest valleys on a variety of soil types. Grapes are hand picked from mid March to early April and delivered to the nearby Petaluma winery in Piccadilly. The best parcels are chilled and whole bunch pressed, whilst the remainder are crushed, de-stemmed and chilled on their way to the press. The fresh juices are settled by gravity to insulated tanks and racked relatively clean after ten days. Seeded with Petaluma's select yeast culture, fermentation in a combination of French oak barriques and steel tanks. With the exception of all whole bunch parcels, the Chardonnay underwent malolactic with lees stirring whilst maturing for a further four months in barrique.

A mid yellow colour, green tinge. The wine displays citrus and white stone fruit aromas with subtle yeast characters and integrated nutty oak. Virile aromas of clove and apple strudel, some anise and white pepper. On the palate with some recognizeble features of nashi pair and mastika, vanillan and cashew, toastyness and grainy, oatmeal expressions. Appealing, and eminently suited to Al fresco dining.

Jean-Marc Brocard often considers himself to be a servant of nature, he is unswerving in his determination to offer beautifully made Chablis wines in their purest forms. Each edition of Brocard is a Chablis first, foremost and to the last drop, wines which are some of the most beautiful and consistently characterful, pure expressions of Chardonnays. The cool mineral discipline of the generally lean soils and clime, ultimately tightens and structures the distinctive and complex Chardonnay grapes. Petit Chablis is a signature style of the greater Chablis region.

$2999each $357DOZEN EACH DOZEN Long time winemaker Clotilde Davenne enjoys the enviable task of crafting the precious parcels of Domaine St Claire Chardonnay to express their distinguished origins. This is the classic attitude of terroir, a place that expresses itself in the wine, through the wine. Starting out in the early 1970s with just one hectare of Chablis vines, Jean Marc has built up to a formidable 120 hectares which supplies most of his needs. The annual purchase of new oak is only a few barrels a year and this tells a lot. Grapes are grown to slopes that are shared with the tiny more exclusive Premier and Grand Cru sites, either side of the Serein River valley in which the town of Chablis itself is situated.

Pale greenish hue. Fine, delicate nose with notes of white fruit, cherry plums and crystallized citrus. The mouth reveals spicy and slightly acid notes, candy drops and lime. A thirst quenching palate, the dry oceanic winds, sultry seasoned oak characters, classic cheesey Chablis notes and chalkiness continue through to the lively cleansing finish. Brocard reflects the unique soil profiles of the region and with very little intervention. The essential expressions of cereal, mineral and citrus persist, the palate is tight but not as severe as fuller bodied Chablis. A crisp dry white which embraces habitual food matches, ideal with sauced white meat dishes and firmly fleshed fish.

Brookland Valley has consistently led the way with innovation, quality and style. The wines are considered benchmarks and achieve the results many viticulturalists and winemakers dream of. The most superior batches of Chardonnay, destined for the estate's Premium Cuvée are treated to wild yeast inoculation, barrel ferments and extended maturation.

$3499each $417DOZEN EACH DOZEN The spectacular Brookland Valley Estate, set against a gently undulating landscape, offers protection from the winds and warmth to the vines, a perfect viticultural microclimate. The estate was founded in the eighties when Malcolm and Quentin Jones acquired the ancient dairy property with the intention of becoming cheese makers. Today, vineyard management built on principles of sustainability, and incorporating a viticulture that is reliant on a respect for the environment, rewards Brookland Valley with wines of quality and elegance. Intense Chardonnay grapes are grown on the sunny ridge of an ancient landform through which a small brook known as the Wilyabrup flows to the nearby sea. Approx 13.0%

Pale straw in colour. White peach and green walnut on the bouquet, complexed by subtle oak. A wine of finesse and power, this full bodied Chardonnay wine shows confident varietal flavours, sweet fruit on the front to mid palate, reined in by good, tight mineral acids, balanced by warming French oak. Enjoy with scallops, grilled snapper or a goat cheese tart.

Margaret River has rapidly gained a profound international reputation for the highest quality Chardonnay wines. After many years of the most exacting standards in viticulture, Cape Mentelle is now fully endowed with salubrious sites of splendid vines in the most excellent health, which yield parcels of full flavoured, concentrated Chardonnay grapes bursting with intense flavours. The Cape Mentelle style draws inspiration from traditional methods to produce a wine displaying aromatic complexity over a finely textured mouthfeel and long, clean finish.

$3399each $405DOZEN EACH DOZEN Fruit is predominantly sourced from the cooler southern Wallcliffe and Karridale subregions. Most of the vines are cane pruned and vertical shoot positioned. The majority of sites are planted to Mendoza (GinGin) clone of Chardonnay, which has proven to be particularly successful in Margaret River. Hand picked bunches are elevated to the Bucher membrane press and settled overnight. The following day, juices are racked into Burgundy coopered French oak barriques. Fermentation is activated by natural and select yeasts. Matured in a combination of fine oaks for nine months, during which time battonage and topping is conducted weekly. Only the best barrels are considered for the final wine.

Pale straw with lime hues. Grapefruit, pear and lime combine with lifted citrus and jasmine blossom along with fresh brioche. Citrus rind and grapefuit lead the palate to an overall fine yet textural journey. A distinctive minerally line is apparent with focussed refreshing acidity. Faint nuances of soft nougat and cashews add to what is a harmonious balance. Match with barramundi and white asparagus.

Castello della Sala stands on a rocky promontory on the Umbrian Apennines not far from the border with Tuscany. The castle, surrounded by ancient Etruscan towns midway between Paglia River and the peak of Mt Nibbio, was built in 1350 for Angelo Monaldeschi della Vipera, whose family had come to Italy with Charlemagne in the 9th century.

$6699each $801DOZEN EACH DOZEN Grapes are harvested off vines planted to rich marine fossil clays originating in the Pliocene era, at altitudes between two and four hundred metres. Chardonnay and Grechetto are separately destemmed, crushed and treated to a 10°C cold soak for several hours. The musts are transferred to a selection of completely new 225 litres Alliers and Troncais French oak barrels for a fortnight of vinification. Batches remain in contact with sedimentery lees for six months while completing full malolactic. The finished wine is assembled, bottled and laid to rest for a further ten months ageing under the historic wine cellars at Castello della Sala. Alcohol 13.0%

Bright golden straw hue. An intense fragrance, aromatic notes of citrus and pears, acacia flowers with hints of vanilla. A well structured palate exhibiting sweeter characters of hazelnuts and butter, persistent complexity and mineral notes. Cervaro drinks beautifully upon release and will continue to deliver complexity for many years to come.