Winemaker Notes
Palest gold in color with a nose that is redolent of honeysuckle, ripe white nectarines, lemon zest and a hint of grapefruit. Hints of toasted brioche, shortcrust pastry and clotted cream add richness and sandalwood spice and salty notes bring savory complexity as the wine opens up in the glass. On the palate the wine is zesty with juicy lemon and grapefruit flavors and acidity, salted green pineapple notes and peach skin phenolics. The finish is long, firm and refreshing. Delicious right now, this will be a perfect match to kingfish ceviche or sashimi, or flathead tails pan-fried in butter.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2024 Chardonnay is spicy and savory and layered with notes of sandalwood, yellow peach, white pepper, cracked nuts and brine. In the mouth, the wine is silky and sophisticated, with a richness of mid-palate fruit that is extraordinarily satisfying. These are routinely smart wines, and this carries on that proud tradition. It is very good indeed. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
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Vinous
The 2024 Chardonnay Estate delivers immediate impact with waves of musky peach and nectarine aromas, supported by a solid base of French oak and a touch of flinty complexity. It is intense and youthful, with a firm backbone of chalky acidity underpinning a core of tight flavor. Great overall energy and vitality suggest a promising future.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Extending into the sea from just south of the city of Melbourne to form Port Philip Bay in the southern state of Victoria, the Mornington Peninsula grape growing region naturally has a cool, maritime climate. A wide range of soils and topographic variations support a large diversity of wine styles within the small headland.