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At Mount Mary they aim to make a Chardonnay of great length that is able to reach a balance between complexity & finesse. Unashamedly Burgundian in concept, local Yarra Valley practices are employed to fully express the unique terroir, including the wine not going through Malolactic fermentation as Mount Mary's cool-climate leaves the fruit with ideal acidity when picked. Matured in 20% new French barriques with the remainder in older barrels and large casks and along with grape solids, this is a Chardonnay of impressive texture and complexity.

The flagship white wine from Hardy's, the Eileen Hardy has become one of Australia's benchmark Chardonnays. Complex, elegant and very much cool climate in style it drinks superbly now and will only improve.

This Katherines Paddock Chardonnay combines the richness, drive and classicism of one clone with the fine-boned flinty structure and chalky notes of the other. It is stylish with the modern expression of Australian style Chardonnay: tense, taut and sulphidic. It reclaims the middle ground where body, flavour and palate weight co-exist with structure, texture and restrained acidity. This single-vineyard Chardonnay has well integrated natural acidity with rich varietal expression.

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.

One of the rare Penfolds wines that is 100% single-regional, the Reserve Bin Chardonnay is sourced from super premium sites in the Adelaide Hills resulting in a fresh, mineral style that lies at the forefront of the modern Chardonnay style. A wine that will always be linked with 'White Grange', Penfolds Yattarna, it shows a palate of Granny Smith apples and lemon curd with a pure chalky texture.

A fine-boned Chardonnay that reflects vintage conditions and the character of a unique vineyard site purchased by Shaw + Smith in 2012. Inaugural vintage: 2014. Planted in 1999, the vineyard has east and west facing aspects and reaches 500 meters above sea level. The soil is brown loam over clay with some broken shale and stone on the ridges. The wine is100% hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed, then fermented and matured on lees in 500-litre French oak puncheons (30% new) for 9 months.

AR Lenoble Champagne AR Lenoble is one of the rare producers in Champagne that has been consistently family-owned and entirely independent since the very beginning. In just over twenty years, the sister and brother owners have quietly yet confidently transformed AR Lenoble into one of the jewels of the Champagne region. The wine is of course made from 100% Chardonnay grapes sourced from the grand cru village of Chouilly and originating from one exceptional vintage. 25% of the blend is vinified in oak while the ageing takes place in magnums and the final wine receives a minimal dosage only (2g/l). The resulting wine is dry, exceptionally balanced and complex with great intensity and persistence. A phenomenally fresh palate despite its vintage.

Gary Farr is still one of Victoria's true Chardonnay maestro's and his Chardonnay By Farr is another example. Taken from the original By Farr vineyard, this is a clearly a wine of true clarity and finesse. Flavours of melon and hints of spice with wonderful oak integration mean this wine is simply delicious upon release, but handle some careful medium-term cellaring.

Cape Mentelle's Cabernet Sauvignon under the guidance of Rob Mann has become one of Australia's most prestigious Cabernet's. Sourced from what many believe to be the true home to Cabernet in Australia, the Margaret River, Cape Mentelle produce a wine that has a plush full-flavoured palate of concentrated blackcurrants and mulberries with a minerally spine. Richly textured and vibrant the palate finishes long with fine yet firm gravelly tannins. A superb candidate for some medium to long term cellaring.

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?