The Auswine Forum

What is Australia’s top ten Chardonnay year in and year out
But lets not include, one off surprise Chardonnays of the year.

I look forward to seeing this list

The names I hear the most are

Giaconda
Leeuwin estate art series
Sorrenberg

I haven’t heard of Sorrenberg, where is this winery located?

In Beechworth Victoria, same as Giaconda .

Giaconda for me the best Australia has to offer.

Others not already mentioned:

Lakes Folly
Stella Bella Luminosa
Tyrrell's VAT 47

Add:

Cullen Kevin John
Mount Mary
Vasse Felix Heytesbury
Xanadu
Oakridge 864

Add:

Cullen Kevin John
Mount Mary
Vasse Felix Heytesbury
Xanadu
Oakridge 864

Here are 35 that I came up with to slug it out from a regional view.

Some really great Chardonnay coming out of these places. Just comes down to personal preference, eg. style.

Maybe you could cut it down to a top 10 based on year to year. But availability or what you might have recently discovered for yourself will change that.

Margaret River -
Leeuwin Estate Art Series
Xanadu (the Reserve or Stevens Road)
Cullen
Pierro
Cape Mentelle
Vasse Felix Heytesbury

Beechworth -
Giaconda
Indigo Vineyard
Savaterre
Sorrenberg

Hunter Valley -
Tyrrell’s Vat 47
Lakes Folly
Pooles Rock
Silkman Wines

Adelaide Hills -
Shaw & Smith M3
Penfolds Reserve Bin A
Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard
Murdoch Hill

Tasmania -
Freycinet Vineyard
Holyman
Tolpuddle Vineyard
Pooley

Mornington Peninsula -
Main Ridge Estate
Stonier (the KBS or Reserve)
Moorooduc Estate
Ten Minutes By Tractor
Port Phillip Estate/Kooyong (the single blocks)

Yarra Valley -
Giant Steps
Mount Mary
Hoddles Creek Estate
Oakridge
Seville Estate
Serrat

Macedon Ranges -
Curly Flat

Geelong -
Bannockburn SRH

My favourite 10 would be (only ones I've actually tasted a few times):

Leeuwin Estate Art Series
Penfolds Yattarna
Pierro
Tyrrell's Vat 47
Mount Mary
Hoddles Creek Syberia
Giaconda
Savaterre
Lakes Folly
Sorrenberg

In roughly that order too.

Cheers
Ian

Going on track record, although some stunning new stuff is arriving every year,

Leeuwin Estate, consistently number one for me.
Giaconda
Sorrenberg
Moss Wood
Mt Lofty Ranges S and G. this is just amazing, and probably heading to the number two spot for me
Pierro
Savaterre
Tyrrells Vat 47
Tolpuddle
Cullen Kevin John

Leeuwin with age is unbeatable for mine. Been backfilling at auction . Had an 04 Giaconda last night and it was good but doesn’t quite have what Leeuwin does. And I’ve had that 04 Giaconda in magnum.

Hard for me to rank a top ten as I like them aged and stelvin a slow process!

great point Jamie, and lost on most people including virtually all critics.
waste of time drinking a Leeuwin younger than 15 years old, the wine needs time to show its wares.
Actually, very similar with Moss Wood, horribly under-rated by the critics who only see it young. At 15 years, most vintages are spectacular.

the King of cult wine idiocy, William Kelley, goes gaga for Giaconda, but I'd guarantee you he's never seen a properly stored mature version of Leeuwin.
still, his nonsense works, he's managed to light a fire under his own label in Burgundy, no doubt cashing in on the hype lols.
gosh, some of the great wine critics resting peacefully in that Romanee Conti vineyard in the sky must be shaking their heads at the utter drivel and self-serving garbage that is being published these days.

Agree with both Jamie and Felix…. LEAS is clearly the best. I conducted a vertical last year back to 99, and while there were stylistic changes from the oldest to those since 2010, they were all profound.

Yes, agree with Felix Leeuwin A.S. after 15+ years is the Best. They are still my top Australian chardonnay.

Hey Mike did u take notes? Interested in the years up to 06 that went through full malo and are 14.5% alc

I did at the time and never got to writing them up formally. I’ve long since thrown out the paper.

Might be an opportune time to conduct a poll for Top 10 Australian Chardonnay, UNDER $50.
With Aussie Chardonnay very hot at the moment, there's some opportunistic pricing out there. I love Giaconda - drank many bottles in the late 80's/early 90's when it was a third of todays price. It's a world class wine and cheap when compared to comparable Burgundies. ( His last release sold out in 6 minutes!) My value choice is Pennies Bin A's.

What are the top Aussie Chardonnays that we can drink weekly/daily.

I'll start with;

Heggies Estate Ch.
Penfolds Bin 311
Vasse Felix Filius

Leeuwin Estate Art Series
Mount Mary
Giaconda
Flowstone Queen of the Earth
Moss Wood
Cullen Kevin John
Tyrrell's Vat 47

If I read another post about old Leeuwin or Giaconda for chrissake I will heave and go to Reddit.

Just kidding. But there is a lot of very good Chardonnay out there.

A few examples from Yarra Valley you could take a look at.

Oakridge - You have a serendipity of winemaker and place with Dave Bicknell and Yarra Valley. Led the way from over-oaked peachy Chardonnay. The wines tend to be wound back a little, subtle and more age-worthy. The 864 is the top of the range with various iterations these days. First vintage was 2004. Lost some key vineyards they sourced for fruit since then - the Lusatia Park vineyard sold to De Bortoli, Applejack sold to Giant Steps. Others still used are proven vineyards. Only issue for them are reduced yields in recent vintages, not quality. Current 864s are Funder & Diamond Drive Block, Aqueduct Block Henke Vineyard. Also a number of others (not 864s) under $50 - Willowlake Vineyard, Henke Vineyard, Hazeldene Vineyard and Barkala Vineyard.

Giant Steps - Some changes with them, but probably just getting better and better. A cellar door visit at Healesville in Yarra Valley is a must do. Mel Chester has taken over as winemaker from Steve Flamsteed. Not tried the new vintages yet, but down for that. Current premiums ($90) are Sexton Vineyard, Tarraford Vineyard, Applejack Vineyard and Bastard Hill Vineyard. Want to try the latter especially, the vineyard was bought from Hardys in 2022 and the 2023 is the first vintage. Snow line vineyard in Upper Yarra planted in 1986. Still remember the 1995 Yarra Burn Bastard Hill Chardonnay, which I was drinking over 10 yrs after 2000. A huge ageless wine with surging waves of oak and citrusy fruit. So keen to see the Giant Steps version. Also you got the standard label ($40), which is a blend of owned/managed Sexton, Gruyere Farm, Tarraford, Applejack, Wombat Creek vineyards.

Seville Estate - Located in the Redlands area of Yarra Valley, which has volcanic soils. The wines from there taste and feel different. A few changes of owners since it was est in 1972 by Peter McMahon. In the 90s it was sold to Brokenwood and Iain Riggs was the winemaker. Peter’s grandson Dylan was the winemaker there for sometime after that. That changed in 2023 with Dominic Valentine (ex-Oakridge) taking over. Remember doing a barrel tasting of the Chardonnays with Dylan some years ago. A lesson in great fruit and texture. Still recall getting back vintages of the Old Vine and the 2015 Estate label knocked the socks off me and everyone else from memory. Another winery I want to see what’s happening now. The Estate label is $60, a bit more than it used to be. The premiums are the Reserve and Dr McMahon labels.

Might do some notes on Mornington Peninsula wineries another time - eg Main Ridge, Stonier, Moorooduc Estate, Port Phillip Estate (and Kooyong), Ten Minutes By Tractor. But you could easily come up with others. Recent visit to Port Phillip Estate just showed how good the standard labels down there are. Single block Kooyong wines are really interesting, but exy. Also dropping into Kerri Greens (next to Paringa Estate) showed what is happening with small producers. Not just their own label. They had some others on sale at the cellar door that you don’t see in the shops. Or Miceli, which is up the road from Main Ridge at Arthurs Seat. Views of Port Phillip Bay and deep volcanic soil. Just one Chardonnay made in a tin shed by owner Dr Anthony Miceli. I had a bottle of the 2019 Olivia’s Chardonnay last year. Not a lot of this. 100% malo, funky, minerals and intense. Loved it. The thing is you get a taste for Mornington Peninsula wines like that.

Adelaide Hills. Where are the SA guys? This is a garden of Eden for Chardonnay. Petaluma, Tapanappa, Shaw and Smith, Penfolds and Sidewood. Must be others that I don’t know too much about. A pity what’s happening with Petaluma. But drink the Yellow Label Piccadilly Valley ($65) and Tiers ($140) while they still make it. Or someone in SA does anyway. Not a fan of Yattarna because it is multi-regional while the Reserve Bin A is a bang on Adelaide Hills wine. Wendy is a Sidewood club member (we drink a lot of their Chardonnay) and the Mappinga is always in the wine club pack twice a year. We tried a handful of others when we went to Adelaide Hills a few years ago. But I think I got distracted by the Gruner Veltliner wines at Hahndorf Hill.

OK Margaret River. If the WA guys can’t come up with a top 10 just listing Margaret River wines, then they are drinking hokey craft beer all the time. Not wine. Leeuwin Estate (yes I am going to mention it) has obviously set the benchmark, especially with the critics. A couple of years ago I went there. You drive past the much vaunted Chardonnay blocks as you arrive at the winery. A truly beautiful sunny spot and rows of meticulously kept vines. You try the current vintage and a couple of back vintages. It is exy, but probably worth it. You know this is a really good wine. I drank a bottle a couple of years ago. Yes really good. Funny thing is some others are too. At the Pierro cellar door they had the $125 Chardonnay on. Got talking to a group of backpackers (working at other wineries) there. I said to them try this Chardonnay and it blew them away. Could not believe the power and intensity in this wine. At the wineries I went to I was trying their best Cabs and Chardonnays. The latter just as impressive - eg Cape Mentelle and Xanadu. At Brookland Valley it was great trying the Houghton Jack Mann and other reds. But it was a bottle of the $80 Brookland Valley Reserve that I bought to take back to the B&B and drink that night. Loads of oaky barrel influence, leesy action and lovely stonefruit. That is what they don’t tell you about Chardonnay. It’s the wine you really are drinking tonight.

Doing this on an iPhone these days, so I am tuckered out now.

Drinking 10 -12 year old Seville Estate Chardonnays this week and I think they are particularly underwhelming.

Brokenwood’s 2008 Beechworth Chardonnay IV-BC76 pipped 04 Giaconda blind for me another weekly highlight.

Not sure if I'm more impressed about your post or the fact you did it on an iphone!

Mick

Sean wrote: ↑Fri Mar 07, 2025 12:44 pm If I read another post about old Leeuwin or Giaconda for chrissake I will heave and go to Reddit.

Just kidding. But there is a lot of very good Chardonnay out there.

OK Margaret River. If the WA guys can’t come up with a top 10 just listing Margaret River wines, then they are drinking hokey craft beer all the time. Not wine. Leeuwin Estate (yes I am going to mention it) has obviously set the benchmark, especially with the critics. A couple of years ago I went there. You drive past the much vaunted Chardonnay blocks as you arrive at the winery. A truly beautiful sunny spot and rows of meticulously kept vines. You try the current vintage and a couple of back vintages. It is exy, but probably worth it. You know this is a really good wine. I drank a bottle a couple of years ago. Yes really good. Funny thing is some others are too. At the Pierro cellar door they had the $125 Chardonnay on. Got talking to a group of backpackers (working at other wineries) there. I said to them try this Chardonnay and it blew them away. Could not believe the power and intensity in this wine. At the wineries I went to I was trying their best Cabs and Chardonnays. The latter just as impressive - eg Cape Mentelle and Xanadu. At Brookland Valley it was great trying the Houghton Jack Mann and other reds. But it was a bottle of the $80 Brookland Valley Reserve that I bought to take back to the B&B and drink that night. Loads of oaky barrel influence, leesy action and lovely stonefruit. That is what they don’t tell you about Chardonnay. It’s the wine you really are drinking tonight.

Ok yes, I should have mentioned Xanadu, Woodlands, Moss Wood, Pierro, Cape Mentelle and even Stella Bella chardonnays. But I didn't want to appear too WA-centric

And yes, we drink a lot of craft beer when we're in Margaret River. You can't just drink fabulous wine ALL the time!

Might find these YouTube videos on Chardonnay interesting.

Vid 1 is Huon Hooke talking to Flametree winemaker Cliff Royle about his Chardonnays. Also the geography of Margaret River, Gin Gin clone and use of puncheons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9KILfMNL4k

Vid 2 is an introduction to Chardonnay by Huon Hooke giving some regional examples.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgaqtW0h980

Vid 3 is a couple of years old now. Erin Larkin MW runs through 5 Chardonnays with regional examples - Mulline Portarlington, Mount Mary, Fighting Gully Road, Seville Estate and Montalto.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At3ghrTVqCg

I know the links won’t work, just copy and paste into your browser bar - and enjoy.

My top 10 are:
Giaconda
Leeuwin Art Series
Cullen Kevin John
Tolpuddle
Oakridge 864
Sorrenberg
Stella Bella Luminoisa
Savaterre (Estate)
Mount Mary
Bindi Quartz

This is an impressive list and thanks!!

Sean wrote: ↑Mon Mar 03, 2025 4:10 pm Here are 35 that I came up with to slug it out from a regional view.

Some really great Chardonnay coming out of these places. Just comes down to personal preference, eg. style.

Maybe you could cut it down to a top 10 based on year to year. But availability or what you might have recently discovered for yourself will change that.

Margaret River -
Leeuwin Estate Art Series
Xanadu (the Reserve or Stevens Road)
Cullen
Pierro
Cape Mentelle
Vasse Felix Heytesbury

Beechworth -
Giaconda
Indigo Vineyard
Savaterre
Sorrenberg

Hunter Valley -
Tyrrell’s Vat 47
Lakes Folly
Pooles Rock
Silkman Wines

Adelaide Hills -
Shaw & Smith M3
Penfolds Reserve Bin A
Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard
Murdoch Hill

Tasmania -
Freycinet Vineyard
Holyman
Tolpuddle Vineyard
Pooley

Mornington Peninsula -
Main Ridge Estate
Stonier (the KBS or Reserve)
Moorooduc Estate
Ten Minutes By Tractor
Port Phillip Estate/Kooyong (the single blocks)

Yarra Valley -
Giant Steps
Mount Mary
Hoddles Creek Estate
Oakridge
Seville Estate
Serrat

Macedon Ranges -
Curly Flat

Geelong -
Bannockburn SRH