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Australian Chardonnay
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With its straightforward, sun ripened strength, Chardonnay stands alone as the most prominent white grape in Australia.
It has been around in Australia since around 1920, but the first true varietal wines didn't start to appear until the 1970's and early 1980’s, when an array of densely creamy wines took a foothold both domestically and abroad. At the time, many Chardonnay drinkers saw the wines as pure bombast, not having any comparable style from which to judge them. But in time they proved to be far more complex and long lived than their upfront power seemed to conceal; in later offerings they turned out to have a decent ability to age, and they continued to become more generous and complex as time went on. Within just 20 years, Chardonnay had become the dominant white wine variety in Australia and its current production in excess of 250,000 tons is significantly more than double its nearest rival, Semillon. Australia's best Chardonnay regions are Margaret River, the Adelaide Hills, the Hunter Valley and the Melbourne 'Dress circle' (Yarra, Mornington and Geelong). Leeuwin's Art Series, which has long been considered the country's top example of the variety, is under challenge from Giaconda in Beechworth. A respectable contingent of newer winemakers is also seeking extreme sites and cool regions, such as Tasmania and Macedon, to push the boundaries with this classic variety. The driest Australian Chardonnays certainly gain a good deal of complexity with judicious treatment with wood. From certain producers, they are in their youth much lighter than, say, a higher alcohol, buttery California Chardonnay. And traditionally, Australian Chardonnay's great strength has been seen in fully ripened, luscious wines to drink early. These wines do tend to benefit greatly from a little aging, but few require more than five years time. Today, the emphasis is on producing top class Chardonnays with complexity and aging ability. Among the very best of these are Leeuwin Estate's Art Series, Penfolds Yattarna, and Rosemount Estate's Roxburgh, all phenomenal wines absolutely suffused with flavor. These wines are certainly sure bets for opulent Chardonnay fruit, but they are refined, elegant, and beautifully complex as well. These wines exemplify the trend at the top of the Australian Chardonnay market toward more restrained, more tightly structured, finer wines with cool, minerally, savory flavors and better potential for aging. In addition to the more refined styles, huge volumes of quaffing wines are produced in the irrigated areas along the Murray River: most notably in Riverland, Murray Darling and Riverina, bearing labels such as McWilliam's Hanwood, Jacob's Creek and Lindemans Bin 65. These are lively, fresh, sunny wines with ripe melon and peach flavors sprinkled with hints of oak—“sunshine in a bottle,” as they refer to them in Australia. Refreshing, uncomplicated, and straight to business, these Chardonnays can offer some of the best white wine values anywhere in the world. Australian Chardonnay Quick Pick GuideRosemount Roxburg Chardonnay
Buying Guide: Australian Chardonnay
10$ and Under Buckeley's Chardonnay South Australia $10 
 The Wishing Tree Unoaked Chardonnay Western Australia $10
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
 Hardys Nottage Hill Chardonnay South EasternAustralia $8
$11-$20 Wakefield Estate Chardonnay South Australia $17 
$21-$30 |
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Green Point Reseve Chardonnay Yarra Valley $25 | |
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Shaw and Smith M3 Vineyard Chardonnay Adelaide Hills $29 | |
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Jacob's Creek Reeves Point Chardonnay South Australia $28 | |
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Rosemount Roxburgh Chardonnay Hunter Valley $25 | |
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Petaluma Chardonnay Piccadilly Valley $30 | |
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Jenke Chardonnay Barossa $25 | |
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The Colonial Estate Évangéliste Reserve Adelaide Hills $30 | |
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Wise Single Vineyard Chardonnay Western Australia $27 |
$31-$50
Pepper Tree Grand Reserve Chardonnay Wrattonbully $34
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Tasting Notes: Beautiful straw golden yellow hues, with bright white glints, and perfectly balanced in sweetness and acidity. Textbook, forward flavors of the Chardonnay grape on display, with a lush, long finishing creaminess on top of tropical and floral aromas.
Comment: From an interesting, cool high-altitude region about 150 miles west of Sydney. This wine has outstanding varietal character, a testament to the skill of its two chief winemakers, Chris Cameron and Janelle Zerk.
Food pairing: seafood | pasta | chicken | duck
When to drink: Drink young, keep for up to 10 years
Service temperature: 10°C | 51°F
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Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay Clare Valley $39 | |
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Giaconda Nantua Vineyard Chardonnay Victoria $50 | |
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Yering Station Reserve Chardonnay Yarra Valley $45 | |
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Stonier Reserve Chardonnay Mornington Peninsula $35 | |
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Yabby Lake Vineyard Chardonnay Mornington Peninsula $36 | |
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TarraWarra Estate Chardonnay Yarra Valley $47 | |
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The Lane Beginning Chardonnay Adelaide Hills $38 |
$50 and Up
Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay Margaret River $79
Grapes: 100% Chardonnay
Tasting Notes: Brilliant greenish straw, with refined citrus aromas. Concentrated scents of flowers also accompany sweet-tart green Granny Smith apples, toasted nuts, and with a mouthwatering, stony minerality, the many flavors of this wine linger on the palate for minutes after drinking.
Comment: Many claim this to be Australia’s most formidable rival to White Burgundy. The most common adjectives used to describe it are heroic, powerful, intense, refined, sophisticated—and they are all right on the money.
Food pairing: seafood | pasta | chicken | duck
When to drink: Drink young, keep for up to 10 years
Service temperature: 10°C | 51°F
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TapaNappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay South Australia $70 | |
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Penfolds Yattarna Chardonnay $66 |
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