Australia 10 whites
Australia 10 whites
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Australia's white wine scene is a hotbed of quality, and very much on the up. The country's foremost wine communicator, Huon Hooke surveys new and established wineries, large and small, to name his top estates. As published in the Decanter July 2012 issue.

Bindi Wine Growers

Macedon Ranges, Victoria

Few Australians come closer to the Burgundy model of the vigneron than Michael Dhillon of Bindi (pictured). Working entirely with a single, 6ha (hectare), cool-climate vineyard, Dhillon crafts spectacularly refined, delicate, compact and multi-layered Chardonnays (and Pinot Noirs) of great precision. There are two Chardonnays. Composition is the second-rung wine – lesser in price only – while Quartz is, as the name suggests, from a single block of vines on particularly quartz-rich soil (though rich is the wrong word – these gold-bearing soils are very low in fertility and grape yields are paltry). Quartz is a spine-tingling wine of great purity and intensity, line and focus. These wines are rare but thrilling, and destined for greatness. If they weren’t so scarce, they would be household names by now. Certainly, whenever Chardonnay is discussed by the cognoscenti, Bindi is recognised as among Australia’s finest.

Bindi, Quartz Chardonnay 2010

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(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Intense citrus aromas, fresh and clean. Bright lemon with touches of grapefruit. Very fine and taut in the mouth, intense and penetrating, with impressive power. Very persistent. More nervy, mineral and intense than the softer Composition. 19.5pts/20

Price: £57.49 Les Caves de Pyrène, Swig

Drink: 2012–2023

Alc: 14%

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Huon Hooke
Huon Hooke
Decanter Magazine, Wine & Food Writer

Huon Hooke is Australia’s leading independent wine writer, based in Sydney, who also judges wine competitions and educates on wine. A journalist first and wine professional second, he has tertiary qualifications in both fields, and has also worked in wineries and wine retailing. He contributes to Gourmet Traveller Wine, the Sydney Morning Herald’s ‘Good Food’ section, ‘Good Weekend’ magazine and Decanter, among other publications. He was co-author of The Penguin Good Australian Wine Guide for 14 years until 2007. In 2012 he launched the web and phone based app, Huonhooke.com. He has won 11 awards for wine writing since 1984 and has published 19 books on wine, including a biography of Penfolds Grange creator Max Schubert.