It is always overwhelming (but no less thrilling) to see just how many different producers and specific styles of Chardonnay there are these days in the wide world of wine. Here in the shop, we would sample no less than a dozen or two every week from around Australia and beyond, and even still we're often floored by how many seem to sneak up on us, and offer something above and beyond our expectations based on previous vintages. Indeed, such varied results each year are a mixture of the ever-changing climates that the vineyards are transitioning through, and a deliberate winemaking choice due to the grape's range and complexity.
We look to highlight this diversity with these specials and at this weekend's tasting (Saturday 8th February) - join us at the usual 12 to 2pm, and we'll journey across Australia (Margaret River, Beechworth & Tasmania), and further abroad to New Zealand, South Africa, France, Italy and North America! We're full of praise for every name on this list, and it'll be great fun to contrast them all with each other!Chardonnay from Around the World - Specials & Tasting
Saturday 8th February
12 to 2pm
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Main Divide Waipara Valley Chardonnay 2023 -
$22 on special this week; $25 RRP
"On release it has a bright lemon hue. Stone fruit and citrus aromas entice the nose, melded with honeysuckle and almonds, and hints of brioche. Beneath this is an underlay of flinty, wet stone minerality, and a whiff of gun smoke, adding a savoury complexity. The palate is perfectly pitched, its generous body complimented by vibrant and bright acidity, that creates a pleasing tension. Plush yet elegant, the encounter concludes with a prolonged and moreish finish." - Winemaker Notes
"A rich, complex chardonnay with marzipan, lemon curd, toast, white peach, vanilla and wood smoke supported by mellow acidity and fine oak tannins." - 93 Points, Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review
Marchese Antinori 'Bramìto' Chardonnay 2022 -
$43 on special this week; $49 RRP
// Grown in Umbria!
"Bramito is produced from the vineyards surrounding the medieval castle at Castello della Sala. One variety that thrives in this terroir is Chardonnay. The vineyards are on soils rich in fossil deposits with veins of clay that give the wine minerality and elegance. Bramìto della Sala has a bright, intense straw yellow color. Notes of white flower blossoms and hints of chamomile dominate the nose accompanied by notes of Golden apples and hints of vanilla. The palate is fresh, extremely pleasant, and fully expresses Chardonnay’s varietal character." - Notes from Marchesi Antinori
"This fresh white shows fine interplay between rich hints of creamed apple, persimmon, vanilla and biscuit, with notes of Meyer lemon peel and tangy salinity. Light- to medium-bodied and creamy on the palate, with a well-cut finish." - Wine Spectator
Cullen 'Metricup' Margaret River Chardonnay 2024 -
$49 on special this week; $55 RRP
// Certified Organic & Biodynamic
"The new Chardonnay is from the Metricup area, and comes with authentic sustainable credentials from a certified organic vineyard in conversion to biodynamic. Planted in 1998 the vineyard is located on the border of Wilyabrup. This wine exhibits beautiful nectarine citrus fruit flavours and has been made in the Chablis style using little oak and cool fermentations to retain the fruit. The seashell label pertains to the influence of the ocean in Margaret river wine growing and the simplicity and beauty of the natural world in our biodynamic winemaking. It is completely different in concept to the Kevin John’s in place and style but made without additions of yeast acidity and anything else." - Winemaker Notes
Meerlust Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2023 -
$52 on special this week; $58 RRP
"Very bright pale-yellow colour with green, vivacious hue. Complex, appealing nose of apricot, peach, pear, lemon zest and floral notes with hints of toasted almonds. On the palate the wine is well structured and linear but retains generous focused stone fruit flavours with sleek, balanced, and crisp acidity. The wine remains vivacious and fresh on the finish with clean citrus fruit underpinned by minerality. The wine has a long, very pleasant lingering finish." - Winemaker Notes
Domaine William Fevre Chablis 2022 -
$62 on special this week; $69 RRP
"Derived from 46 hectares of holdings that average around 45 years old, Fèvre’s 2020 Chablis Village is a rare example of a cuvée that combines quantity and quality. Offering up aromas of white flowers, clear honey, bread dough and fresh pastry, it’s medium-bodied, saline and seamless, with bright acids and a fine-boned, elegant but intensely flavored profile." - William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Apsley Gorge Tasmania Chardonnay 2023 -
$70 on special this week; $79 RRP
An amazing showcase of power, body and creamy depth - it feels quite atypical of a Tasmania white! There are the moreish waves of citrus fruit and roasted nut, but right after you're greeted with ripe swaths of toasted oak, vanilla/buttery pastries, and roasted nuts, finished off by some well-integrated natural acidity that keeps things fresh and fragrant. Their winemaker Brian Franklin's time honing his skills over in Burgundy certainly come through here, able to turn what was a challenging 2023 season for the vineyards into a wine of memorable brace and backbone - Our Notes
Savaterre Frere Cadet Beechworth Chardonnay 2023 -
$70 on special this week; $79 RRP
// Just released!
"Vintage 2023 was an exceptional vintage for Beechworth Chardonnay. Initially, it looked quite dire with wet weather dominating early in the season. The weather improved at flowering which facilitated an ideal crop which ensured the ripeness of the vintage. A serious cerebral wine of great focus and precision. Sophisticated, elegant, focused, intense, textural with great length and acidity. Frère Cadet is made identically as the Estate chardonnay. The same care attention to old world traditions. Unrushed, allowing nature to do the work at her own pace. The only difference is the vineyard, run by some talented vignerons, located a few kilometers from Savaterre in the Beechworth region. It's initially reserved, but after a few minutes, it starts to reveal itself. Aromas of Anjou pear, white peach, lime blossom, lemon, white flowers, hazelnut brioche with a hint of toasted wood and gun smoke. The palate is fine and silky with a myriad of flavours reflecting the aroma blending in youthful harmony. There is a crisp acidity which is a hallmark of the vintage and an excellent indicator for the ageing potential of this wine. A sophisticated powerful wine of finesse with beguiling texture and great length." - Winemaker Notes
Bernhard Huber Malterdinger Weiss 2020 -
$86 on special this week; $99 RRP
// From Baden, Germany!
"This wine is built upon our best Pinot Blanc plants from the Bienenberg vineyard in an assemblage with the finest selections from our Chardonnay vineyards. The grapes grow on weathered limestone soils. The Pinot Blanc vines are more than 60 years old, while the Chardonnay vines are up to 10 years old. The blend is 70% Chardonnay with 30% Weisser Burgunder. The must is spontaneously fermented in small French oak barrels and matured on the yeast lees for 16 months. It is bottled without filtration. For us, the origin is more important than the grape varieties. Therefore we call this local wine 'Malterdinger' white." - Julian Huber, Winemaker
Domaine Leflaive Macon-Verzé 2022 -
$98 on special this week; $109 RRP
"The 2022 Mâcon-Verzé is raised in stainless steel, concrete and foudres, around 10% wood for micro-oxygenation. It is bottled early in the year after the harvest. The nose offers a clean, precise, malic bouquet with orchard fruit emerging with time. The palate is taut, fresh and lightly spiced, with fine weight and ample depth on the finish. Enjoy this Mâcon-Verzé over the next 3 to 5 years." - Neal Martin, Vinous
Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2021 -
$165 on special this week; $189 RRP
"In warm years, the wines can occasionally lean too tropical in aroma, but that isn't the case here. The floral notes of chamomile and honeysuckle moderate the grandeur of the fruit but also slowly subside to unveil lemon balm, cinnamon and mint. The parade of bright, zesty fruit continues on the palate, but it’s just the beginning. The wine's texture and energy are on full display, brimming with minerality, lemon curd and crème brûlée. The delicate balance between the spine of acidity and the breadth of flavor is both dynamic and fluid. The ripe melon notes are particularly captivating, lending freshness and richness. While there are some soft barrel undertones magnified by a subtle chalkiness, it will take some time before this additional layer matches the surrounding opulence. The finish initially leans exotic and tropical, first as banana and then as starfruit before slowly yielding to D'Anjou pear and baking spice." - Winemaker Notes
"A warm, rich concentrated year, very much the opposite of 16. We wanted to express the characteristics of the vintage, looking at different picking windwos, lots of lemon curd, wet stone and brightness, tons of fresh white pepper and caramom, a consistent ripe stone fruit finish carries the wine out." - 93 Points, Decanter If you wish to buy any of these wines, please use the links above
Alternatively, email us at sales@thewineemporium.com.au, or contact us on (07)32521117 if you have any questions. // Prices valid until Wednesday the 12th of February