Australian Chardonnay: 20 wines to snap up

There’s a reason Chardonnay has endured (despite the Anything But Chardonnay blip) as wine lovers’ favourite white. It’s all things to all people: available in 99% of retailers and restaurants, at pocket-friendly to suitably show-off prices, with examples from almost every wine-producing country.

Arguably its most valuable quality, however, is flexibility of style. Whether you like a richly oaked, opulently tropical, buttery wine, or a more lean, citrus-driven, minerally one, there’s a Chardonnay for you. And nowhere, outside its heartland of Burgundy, crafts these two contrasting Chardonnay styles to such an equally high standard as does Australia.

This is in part due to the sheer scale of the country, and therefore the myriad climates, elevations, terroirs and vintage differences that make each Chardonnay-producing region like a different European nation. From the Tamar Valley in Tasmania to Hunter Valley in New South Wales is the same distance as from London to Naples in Italy – 1,600km. And the 3,500km from Margaret River in Western Australia to Beechworth in eastern Victoria is like driving from London to Tbilisi in Georgia.

Chardonnay’s style-for-all malleability is also thanks to the ease with which its taste can be manipulated. Picking dates and fruit ripeness, wild yeasts, malolactic fermentation and lees stirring, not to mention the use of oak: all of these have an impact on body, structure, texture, aroma and flavour.

Ripe, oaky, creamy, high-octane Chardonnay is what made Australia’s name in the 1980s and 1990s, but soon the ‘ABC’ movement took hold and winemakers had to rethink their game. This lead to an almost 180° shift and, taking a leaf from Burgundy, producers started working more with cooler sites, as well as picking earlier and experimenting with reductive winemaking techniques that give a distinct flinty, ‘struck match’ character.

Sommeliers, critics and judges might have loved these for their character and ageability, but many wine lovers still yearned for that weighty, rich, buttery style. The pendulum is swinging back towards the middle ground, though there are still exponents of each style to be found – including some famous names.

Best of the best

‘Australian Chardonnay represents some of the best in the world if measured by value and impact,’ says Andrew Caillard MW, co-founder of Langton’s wine auctions and the creator of the Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine. ‘They are diverse yet complementary styles, the best showing extraordinary technical skill and empathy for the land.’

Caillard’s three-tier classification, created in 1990, is a fluid ranking of Australia’s best- performing wines, based on reputation, demand, quality and track record at auction.

Of the 136 wines on the 2018 list, just nine are Chardonnay: two, Leeuwin Estate’s Art Series and Giaconda’s Estate Chardonnay, in the top Exceptional tier; and two, Penfolds’ Bin 144 Yattarna and Pierro, ranked Outstanding. In the Excellent tier are Cullen’s Kevin John, Mount Mary, Oakridge’s 864, Tyrrell’s Vat 47 and Vasse Felix’s Heytesbury.

Margaret River boasts four wines in this top nine – and for good reason, says Caillard, who believes it to be ‘one of the world’s greatest regions’ for Chardonnay. ‘Although the very best estates have a different character, they all share a common theme of freshness, al dente textures and mineral length – many with the richness that people really like.’

Caillard also lauds Yarra Valley. ‘From an aesthetic point of view, David Bicknell (Oakridge) is the technical reference. Mount Mary is a proven cellaring style and… has one of the longest track records as a collectible.’

The Adelaide Hills also has ‘a proven record and promises more in the future’, as does Beechworth, home of Giaconda. ‘This is definitely a region to watch,’ Caillard says.

My selection is not a definitive top 20 list, more a guide to some of the most highly regarded, as well as up-and-coming wines, spanning a variety of regions and price points.

These are a selection of high-scorers from more than 80 Chardonnays tasted (non-blind) at the annual Australia Trade Tasting held in London in January

Top Australian Chardonnay wines to try