Sitting atop a high hill in the heart of the Hunter Valley, Bimbadgen have been producing quality wines like their Verdelho since 1968. Pineapple and tropical fruits arise on the nose followed by a citrus and troplical palate with lovelly herbal notes on the finish.

Quality dry white wine, a blend (cuvée) of the Chardonnay and Riesling varieties with delicate golden colour and a greenish reflection. It exhibits fresh and intense aromas of banana, pear and peach, as well as notes of apple, orange and lemon blossoms with well-balanced acidity and a lingering flavour.

A wine with a yellowish color. The aroma is complex, built with southern fruits combined with creamy, buttery undernotes. The taste is full, rounded with a fine and long ending.

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.

An elegant and restrained cool-climate style Shaw & Smith M3 Chardonnay has been at the forefront of the modern Australian Chardonnay renaissance. Displaying notes of nectarine and citrus underpinned by crisp acidity, it evolves over time to reveal layers of toasty, mealy complexity.

Floral fruit in youth, moving towards biscuity characters with age. A generally softer bodied palate with smoother acids than the Vat 1 and Belford Semillons.

A different expression altogether sans the benefit of bottle age. Youthful. Zesty. Punchy. As filigreed of talcy acidity and fine boned as the rest of the crew, this is guava, lemon grass and sherbet, teeming along a line of candied citrus chew. The wine will blossom in the medium term, but will not shy away from some aged furrows and complexity. Alcohol: 12%. Closure: screwcap. Date tasted: Jan 2018. Drink by: 2029. Price: $35. Rating: 94/100.

2022 was a wet season in the Hunter region with over 180 millimetres ofrain in February alone. Mild weather and cooler conditions delayed harvestuntil the sun and welcoming winds dried out the vineyards. All was not lost,as the longer season introduced excellent flavours, natural acids and complexity into the wines. This single vineyard wine from Cael’s Gate was created from vines plantedin 1978. Elegant and restrained, this wine shows lemon peel, lime zest andoatmeal nuances. It is concentrated and finely flowing in the mouthdelivering delicate fruit intensity with linear mouth feel and racy acidity.Firmly structured and focused with an impressively long sleek finish.

This Semillon from a sustainably farmed vineyard in the Hunter Valley region was hand picked from 40 year old Semillon vines. The grapes were then fermented with skins, pressed, and barrel aged for 3 months in old Chardonnay French oak. There was no additions, fining or filtration of the wine when bottled. The result is a textural, juicy wine with a zesty dry finish, with flavours of mandarin marmalade and a hint of lemon.