The Yarra Valley is one of the heavyweight regions for Australian Chardonnay, with finesse and length of flavour the hallmarks of the regional style. In the glass: Pale lemon green. On the nose: Apple, grapefruit, oatmeal and almond aromas. On the palate: Fine, elegant and poised yet with power and drive and a delicious core of white and yellow fruits. A savoury, almost salty layer adds complexity, velvety texture and racy acidity.

Winemaker notes Colour: Pale Gold Bouquet: Our Reserve Chardonnay has a bright and lifted nose of sweet pastry, lemon curd and fleshy white stonefruit. Palate: The palate displays a rich and layered mix of fresh stonefruit, citrus and intense vanilla bean flavours. A fine mineral thread ensures a wine of length and persistence. Viticulture The vineyard is planted on Karri loam gravel soils with underlying laterite. Vine rows run north south down a moderate north facing slope and are clone Gin-Gin with trellis structured to vertical shoot positioning. The vineyard is subject to the cool Southern Ocean breezes and ripens slowly, evenly and with naturally high acidity. Winemaking The fruit is handpicked then cooled before whole bunch pressing. New and seasoned barrels are filled directly from the press to enhance complexity. Only the free run fraction is reserved with harder pressings separated to ensure a delicate and fine expression of the fruit in this wine. The juice is left to ferment spontaneously and can take up to three weeks to ferment with some cooling at the height of ferment. After ferment the barrels are topped and gently stirred with inert gas protection monthly. A small number of barrels were encouraged to finish malolactic fermentation to ameliorate the natural acidity. After nine months in barrel the wine is assembled in tank and aged on lees to further encourage complexity.

This Margaret River classic has reached a beautifully rounded maturity, softening its initial power into pure elegance. The vibrant grapefruit and white stonefruit flavors have mellowed into a smooth, honeyed richness, perfectly complemented by a creamy cashew finish. It is silkier and more approachable than ever, a sophisticated, world-class white that feels luxurious and easy to drink right now.

Kevin Cullen was a passionate believer in the quality of Margaret River as a wine region and particularly of its potential to become one of the great areas for both Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Here's his proof! [Biodynamic]

Bright salmon-pink in colour. This wine is a non-vintage blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with notes of wild strawberries and freshly baked pastry. The palate has a delicate balance of red berries, fine acidity and a rich, creamy texture.

The aspiration of Oakridge LVS -- or Local Vineyard Series -- wines is to be outstanding expressions of single vineyards within the Yarra Valley. Local Vineyard Series wines enable wine lovers to compare and contrast the power of terroir and geography in winemaking. In essence, different grape varieties thrive in different soils, and Yarra Valley terroirs and altitudes vary widely. Oakridges expertise and understanding of the region allows viticulturists and winemakers to match a particular variety with a particular site -- with marvellous results. Almost all LVS wines are cellarworthy. The Willowlake Vineyard is just outside Gladysdale in Victorias Upper Yarra Valley. Planted in 1979 at an elevation 300 metres, the cool-grown Chardonnay here ranks with the regions very best. Add the skills of leading Chardonnay exponent David Bicknell and these hand-picked grapes become wines that express their variety and origin with consummate precision and flair.

In the glass: Fine straw with a faint hint of green.On the nose: A super-ripe mix of nectarine, melon and fig with fine oak spice. On the palate: A very smartly made expression of Chardonnay thats super-ripe, fresh and crisp throughout with velvety soft texture and deluxe oak harmony.

Margaret River makes some of Australias best Chardonnay and while its home to big names, we think Domaine Naturaliste, a smaller operator, is just as great, so were thrilled to share this with you. In the glass: Bright yellow, green highlights. On the nose: Nectarine, pineapple and lime with deluxe barrel notes.On the palate: Velvety with wonderful harmony and oyster shell and sea spray brightness. Lime juice-like acidity drives the intense yet refined fruit core with complex nuances of nougat and struck match.

CREDARO 1000 Crowns Chardonnay, Margaret River The Credaro family, originally from northern Italy, settled in Margaret River in 1922. Brothers Cesaro and Olympio worked in agriculture and the timber industry and helped build the regions first bridges, railways and major roads. The family also made wine every year for themselves and their neighbours. Commercial involvement in the wine industry had to wait until the 1980s, when the Credaros began supplying other established Margaret River wineries. In 2019 the family owned and/or managed 110ha of vineyard over five sites across the region and built a 1200-tonne winery near Yallingup in northern Margaret River, in 2003. 1000 crowns (nominally $500) was the Credaro familys original investment and the name is today applied to their flagship wines. The 1000 Crowns Chardonnay typically shows fragrant white peach and citrus aromas with pear and nougat nuances. The palate is rich with flavours of stonefruits, grapefruit and citrus blossom complemented by a creamy texture from lees influence. A fine acid line provides a mineral framework and fruit flavours generally linger through a long, flavoursome finish.

The awesomely scenic and wildly remote wine regions of West Australia produces fine and elegant Chardonnay grapes for the Howard Park Methode Traditionelle Blanc de Blanc. Pale gold in colour with notes of citrus zest, peach, and freshly baked macaroons. The fine mousse of the palate captures bright flavours of citrus, red berries and baked apple. Time on yeast lees has added creamy lemon curd and subtle wafer biscuit layers of flavour and texture. A wine rich and full of flavour balanced by a fine and gently lingering acidity.