Australia & New Zealand Chardonnay Selection - 6 Pack Value

Embark on a Chardonnay journey through the Southern Hemisphere with our Australia & New Zealand Chardonnay selection - 6 pack Vvlue. This curated collection showcases the best Chardonnays from these renowned wine regions, offering a diverse array of flavors and profiles.

1 x Catalina Sounds Sound of White Chardonnay 2020 - Marlborough, New Zealand

90/100 James Suckling
Bronze - New Zealand Wine Rater
93/100 New Zealand Wine Rater (2019 vintage)
92/100 Bob Campbell, The Real Review (2019 vintage)

Double Gold - New Zealand International Wine Show
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards
Bronze - International Wine Challenge
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2019 vintage)

James Suckling "A creamy and buttery chardonnay with aromas of apricots, green apples, salted butter and praline. Hints of nougat. Medium-bodied and creamy throughout, with tangy acidity."

New Zealand Wine Rater "Pale in hue and clearly very youthful, restrained and reductive on the nose right now. Showing lemon citrus notes with aromas of chive flowers and some earthy, lees characters. Fresh and lively on the palate with distinctive, crisp acidity. A wine that clearly needs more time to show its best."

Decanter World Wine Awards "Restrained nose displaying gentle aromas of melon, peach, lemon and smoky notes. Finely rendered fruit, quite concentrated, silky and fresh."

Bob Campbell, The Real Review "From Catalina's Sounds of White vineyard in the Waihopai Valley. Tangy, fruit-focused chardonnay with green apple, lime, subtle toast and gingery yeast lees characters. A fresh, crisp wine that promises to age well." (2019 vintage)

New Zealand Wine Rater "A vibrant, youthful, funky wine on the bouquet. Th ere are intense aromas of grapefruit, salted lemon, toast/vanilla oak, with hints of gun-flint, and struck match. The wine is dry, and fleshy with plenty of drive, a grainy, salty texture nicely balanced with salivating acidity, and a strong barrel influence. All bodes well for the wine to further integrate with time." (2019 vintage)

Decanter World Wine Awards "Flinty aromatics suggests a reductive style with pure apple fruit underneath. Lovely silken texture with tangy acidity and decent length." (20019 vintage)

Marlborough based award-winning winery, Catalina Sounds is known for wines which harness the purity and vibrancy of Marlborough’s climate and landscape. The name Catalina Sounds evolved from the majestic Catalina flying boats that played a vital role across the South Pacific during and after World War II.

Marlborough is by far New Zealand's most important wine region. Situated at the north-eastern tip of the South Island, this dry, sunny region produces around three-quarters of all New Zealand wine. It is particularly famous for its pungent, zesty Sauvignon Blanc - widely considered by critics to be the best Sauvignon currently produced anywhere on the planet. Commercial-scale viticulture began in Marlborough the 1970s – it conquered the world within 25 years!

The aim for our Chardonnay from Sound of White is always quality. Meticulously well managed, clone 95 Chardonnay is grown on clay-loam soils at our Sound of White vineyard in the Waihopai Valley (part of the sought-after Southern Valleys). Shoot-thinning and leafplucking keep the canopy open and fruit hanging freely. Yields are purposely kept low around 6-7 T/Ha to ensure ripe concentration and balance

1 x TarraWarra Estate Chardonnay 2019 - Yarra Valley, Australia

Bronze, International Wine Challenge 2019
93/100 Halliday Wine Companion
5-star Winery – Halliday Wine Companion
91/100 Jeremy Oliver (2016 vintage)
92/100 Jeremy Oliiver (2015 vintage)
90/100 Tye Wine Front (2014 vintage)

Australia's Top 52 Wineries of 2020 - N#28 - Sydney Morning Herald

A wine only released in exceptional vintages

Sunday Telegraph “For long one of the Yarra Valley's [Australia] signature chardonnays, the style continues to be tweaked by winemaker Clare Halloran to ensure its continued rousing mouthfeel, freshness and subtle marriage of oak. Very much a fruit-driven explosion of chardonnay's finest attributes, all moulded with great balance and care.”

Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion “A racy, fresh and drink-now style that's lightly spiced, citrussy with some complexing sulphides and creamy lees. Lithe and long with a fine line of natural acidity. A good drink.”

Wine Companion "There's really fine, tangy acidity throughout and nothing is out of place....an amalgam of flavours, but is more citrus-toned and spiced with ginger."

Huan Hooke, The Real Review "Light to very light straw colour, looks and smells backward. Shaved almond and floral nuances."

International Wine Challenge “Attractive struck match nose with an easy-drinking creamy stone fruit palate.”

The Winemaker “The wine has grapefruit and lemon zest aromas with underlying notes of cashew nuts. The tight palate reflects the season, with texture derived from 10 months on lees and a lovely drive with the persistence of flavour. With oak and tank maturation, the wine shows an elegant complexity with appealing freshness.”

TarraWarra Estate has some of the Yarra Valley's oldest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines, and is considered one of the region's foremost wineries. Located in one of Australia's best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir growing regions, Tarrawarra Estate is estate is rated by top Australian wine critic, James Halliday as “one of the top-tier wineries in the Yarra Valley”. It is best known for its exceptional Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Conde Naste Traveller "Make a stop here to taste the best of the region. The cellar door sits on a thousand acres of prime Yarra Valley farmland and vineyards. There are 28 blocks planted with cool-climate grapes, including chardonnay and pinot noir—this region’s stars—as well as shiraz, merlot, and more."

In addition to the beautiful TarraWarra Estate in the Yarra Valley, owners Marc Besen and wife Eva Besen are the custodians of the most significant privately held collection of modern Australian art in the country, now exhibited for much of the year at the TarraWarra Museum of Art.

The Yarra Valley is a well-respected Australian wine region which occupies the eastern half of the Port Phillip viticultural zone in the diminutive state of Victoria. At complete odds with the usual, hot and dry Shiraz-growing image of Australia, Yarra Valley is best known for its bright, complex wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

1 x Plantagenet York Chardonnay 2021 - Mt. Barker, Western Australia

92/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
92/100 Gabrielle Poy, The Real Review
91/100 James Suckling
91/100 James Suckling (2020 vintage)
91/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2020 vintage)
90/100 Erin Larkin, Halliday Wine Companion (2020 vintage)
91/100 James Suckling (2019 vintage)
90/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (2019 vintage)
Bronze - Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2019 vintage)

5 Stars Winery - James Halliday

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit "Attractively fruited and elegantly expressed with Gala apple, fig, lemon peel and almond notes, it's gently weighted and beautifully flowing in the mouth displaying excellent fruit purity with a creamy texture and bright acidity. Beautifully composed and harmonious. At its best: now to 2026."

Gabrielle Poy, The Real Review "Spiced nectarine and herbal highlights lead into a brightly fruited and fleshy core. It's tightly wound and tense in its youth, but still provides plenty of enjoyment. Time will add layers and breadth. A lovely style that balances fruit and savoury nuances very well. "

James Suckling "This has aromas of white peaches, lemons, fresh pears and salted butter. Creamy and fresh with bright acidity. Pretty pastry and white chocolate hints at the end."

James Suckling "Apricot stones, golden apples, cloves and roasted cashews on the nose. Full-bodied with fresh acidity and a rich, buttery texture. Vanilla and praline to close. " (2020 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Bright, light yellow colour, with a note of pineapple introducing the bouquet, followed by grapefruit and lemon, the palate round and soft, clean and dry, with appealing flavours and medium-long persistence." (2020 vintage)

Erin Larkin, Halliday Wine Companion "Salted pineapple, guava, curry leaf and red apples. This is worked and savoury, with a line of taut, briny acidity that courses through the heart of it. Quite golden in colour in the glass, which is reflected in the concentration and density of flavour in the mouth." (2020 vintage)

James Suckling "This has a spiced-pear nose with a wealth of fleshy fruit on the palate and a gently chalky, pastry finish. The acidity is bright and there’s a lot of peach flavor here." (2019 vintage)

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "Here grapefruit juice and zest light the way." (2019 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Medium yellow colour, seems rather advanced. Voluminous peach-nectar aroma, a plain wine, the palate likewise ripe and rounded, full and almost fat, with one-dimensional bold fruit. Sunshine in a bottle. " (2019 vintage)

Western Australian winery, Plantagenet is acclaimed internationally for its consistently highly-awarded, quality wines produced from its five vineyards located in the cool climate region of the Great Southern. It is known for its highly aromatic riesling, tangy citrus-tinged chardonnay, exceptional Rhône-style shiraz and suberb cabernet sauvignon. The five estate vineyards are overseen by Chief Viticulturist Jordan Ellis whose philosophy is sustainability and remaining true to the terroir of the region.

The Real Review "Plantagenet is a pioneer of the Great Southern region of Western Australia with vineyards first planted in 1986 and the first commercial winery established in the region. Celebrated for its rich heritage, the winery is owned the Lionel Samson family, the oldest family owned business in Western Australia established in Fremantle in 1829. Plantaganet has five vineyards in the Mount Barker sub region each with the unique characteristics, ancient soils and a cool maritime climate cretaing expressive wines of provenance, quality & prestige. "

James Halliday, Halliday Australian Wine Companion "Plantagenet has honed its flagship varieties into a distinct Great Southern wine style; a depth of lively flavour, seamless elegance and natural purity"

The Great Southern is emerging as a wine region of international significance and reputation. It is the largest wine growing region in Australia and is the second largest producer of grapes in Western Australia. It is a landscape of forested cliffs and resplendent mountain ranges, grazing pastures and towns steeped in history. The regional climate ranges from the coastal, maritime subregions of Albany and Denmark to the inland, continental subregions of Mount Barker, Porongurup and Frankland River. The predominant soils are similar to those of the Margaret River region - either lateritic gravelly sandy loams (marri country) or sandy loams deriving directly from granite and gneissic bedrocks. Near perfect conditions for grape growing has lured some of the most creative and talented winemakers to call this land their home and become part of its ancient story.

The region is known for commitment to be sustainable, and organic, and is attracting some of Australia’s best winemakers. In 2023 the region dominated the Halliday Wine Companion Awards with its Top Rated 2023 Rieslings winning 10 of the top 40 awards. Other varietals from the region also received exceptional ratings of 97, 96 & 95 points.

1 x Brown Hill Golden Horseshoe Reserve Chardonnay 2019 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia

95/100 - The Wine Companion
93/100 - Ned Goodwin, Halliday Wine Companion
88/100 The Real Review

‘SMALL PRODUCER OF THE YEAR’ ~ The West Australian Wine Guide 2010

‘SMALL PRODUCER OF THE YEAR’ ~ The West Australian Wine, Guide 2009

Erin Larkin, The Wine Companion "Hand picked, whole-bunch pressed, fermented in a combination of seasoned and new French oak. Toasty, chewy and packed with layers of flavour and texture. The saline acid ties it all to a post, the concentrated fruit forms a deep pool of flavour on the tongue. There's a lot to ponder, a lot to like, and thankfully, a whole bottle to drink. Get to it."

Ray Jordan 'Probably the best chardonnay from this small producer. Aromas of lime and light stone fruit with a trace of crunchy melon. It's a medium-bodied wine with the oak deliberately underplayed, though still taking an important role. A nice edge to the finish'.

Ned Goodwin 'A wine that glimpses the current zeitgeist, tauter expressions of chardonnay while also paying heed to the proclivity of Margaret River for generosity and texture. Honeydew melon and quice leap out of the blocks... a generous lick of medium French oak, toning the palate'.

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Very light-straw colour. The aroma is reserved and a bit shy, with a faint floral overtone, while the palate is light but reasonably intense, straightforward and tickled up with a trace of sweetness. A pleasant wine but the price is a bit of an overreach."

The Western Australian Wine Guide 2018 "Brown Hill Estate is small family-run southern Margaret River producer has gone from strength to strength with a range of exceptional quality and value-for-money wines. The vines are all dry grown and on quite harsh gravelly soils, resulting in small yields. All grapes are hand-picked. The reds are put into a high percentage of new American and French oak. Great value and super wines." (2017 vintage)

Decanter "A classic restrained nose which unfolds to real aromatic intensity on the palate. Grapefruit, grapefruit oil and a touch of green apple on the finish." (2017 vintage)

Brown Hill Estate is a family run, multi-award winning Margaret River winery focussed on single vineyards. It utilizes traditional methods of handpicking and hand sorting to get the best quality from its grapes, and French coopered barrels in production.

Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.

Margaret River is one of the best-known wine regions in Australia, recognized internationally for the quality of its wines and the natural beauty of the region. Although originally renowned for its unusually refined Cabernet Sauvignon and intensely citrusy Chardonnay varieties, the region now produces Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends and Shiraz.

Located in the south-western corner of Western Australia, it is famous for having a more 'European' wine style than its counterparts across Australia, owing to the regions temperate, coastal location which is very similar to that of Bordeaux.

1 x Te Mata Estate Vineyard Chardonnay 2021 - Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

96/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
90/100 Tom Cannavan (2018 vintage)
90/100 Huon Hooke, The Real Review (2016 vintage)

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit "A gorgeously composed Chardonnay with a great degree of elegance, showing nectarine, rockmelon, lemon peel, oatmeal and roasted hazelnut characters on the nose, followed by a superbly structured palate that’s laced with ripe fruit intensity and stylish oak infusion. Bright acidity provides balance and frame, while richly textured mouthfeel leads to a persistent sensual finish."

Tom Cannavan "Made from the Mendoza clone (with its hen and chick tendency), and low-cropped. Part wild yeast fermentation in barrel. The oak is subtle, again a little Jack Daniels note, but then mouth-watering juiciness with lemon and fennel, apple fruit and the acid line playing against a little soft nougat or almond." (2018 vintage)

Huon Hooke, The Real Review "A light coloured and very refreshing, lightly oaked, soft and easy drinking chardonnay. Hints of nectarine and passionfruit. The wine is very soft, almost with a slight impression of sweetness, and oak is barely perceptible. Beautifully balanced, refined, subtle and lovely to drink."

Winemaker "Vibrant white-gold, Estate Chardonnay ’22 dazzles with bright lemon blossom and concentrated white peach. On the palate, all the ripe Hawke’s Bay stone fruit on offer softens to mascarpone and macadamia, with barrel-ferment notes of toast, biscuit and woodsmoke. The lingering finish of Estate Chardonnay ’22 is fine and dry, marrying the wine’s fresh fruit acidity with just a flick of salinity – the lasting perfume of a perfect Hawke’s Bay summer."

World of Fine Wine 'Getting to know a legend' "A visit to one of the world’s greatest fine-wine estates should be an integral part of any tour of New Zealand. On the East Coast of New Zealand’s North Island is the independently owned, family-run, Te Mata Estate. Owners and staff still work on vineyards that began growing Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir back in the 1890s, making it the country’s oldest wine estate. Since 1905, this winery has been winning gold medals globally, which led to these sites becoming the country’s first to be protected by law due to their viticultural history. Te Mata Estate wines are currently available in 45 countries and have been presented at some of the world’s top tables— including to President Barrack Obama, President Xi Jinping, and Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee."

Raymond Chan "Te Mata Estate was the standard by which every other wine producer could be judged against, as the full range of styles has always been impeccable. In the earlier days, Hawke’s Bay was the scene of New Zealand’s quality wine, so it was very apt to have Te Mata Estate as the point of reference. Even when other regions developed, and Marlborough grew larger, and other varietals such as Pinot Noir became important, one could understand the state of the New Zealand wine industry by how Te Mata Estate behaved or reacted to influences, whether internal, or international."

Te Mata Estate is regarded as one of New Zealand’s most important wine producers. It is New Zealand's oldest winery, oldest wine estate and has the oldest winery cellars in the country - in continuous operation since 1895. Coleraine is Te Mata's most acclaimed wine and is often regarded as New Zealand's best red wine.

Hawke's Bay is located on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island in and around the cities of Napier, Hastings and Havelock North. This historic region has New Zealand's second-largest wine industry (after Marlborough) and is highly regarded for its red Bordeaux Blend wines. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Chardonnay are all planted widely across the region. Over the years, the region has won international acclaim for its very high-quality Bordeaux-style reds and full-bodied Chardonnays. Syrah, produced in a classic European style with strong black-pepper flavors, is another grape variety thought to have great potential here.

1 x Pike & Joyce Adelaide Hills "Sirocco" Chardonnay 2021 - Adelaide Hills, Australia

93/100 Aaron Brasher, The Real Review
91/100 Ned Goodwin MW, Halliday Wine Companion
91/100 James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion (2020 vintage)

5 Star - Halliday Wine Companion

Gold - Adelaide Hills Wine Show
Gold - Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show
Bronze - Adelaide Hills Wine Show (2020 vintage)

Aaron Brasher, The Real Review "Aromas of grapefruit pith, nuts, white blossoms, nectarine and melon skin. Complex, layered and mouth-filling, lovely depth of white stone fruit, citrus, nutty oak and crunchy acidity. Long, textured and a very smart drink."

Ned Goodwin MW, Halliday Wine Companion "A mid-weighted chardonnay of ample flavour and a notch of flare. Cantaloupe, white fig and yellow plum. The mid-palate, all cashew cream, curd and white miso. Expansive and sweet, with a dutiful waft of oak directing the finish while compressing the seams into a mould of drinkable restraint."

Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show "Lifted stonefruit and spice. some funk. integrated and complex palate. bright fruit. nice structure and texture."

Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show "...ripe peach mid weight silky palate rounded mineral nice saline acid with fruit weight"

James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion "From the cool, high-altitude Lenswood district of the Adelaide Hills. Rich and more robust than is usual for Lenswood, but the vintage should ensure time will come to its aid." (2020 vintage)

This is a partnership between the Pike family (of Clare Valley fame) and the Joyce family, related to Andrew Pike’s wife, Cathy.

The winery is situated in Lenswood, which is a subregion of the Adelaide Hills. The Adelaide Hills region is well-known for its cool climate, high-altitude vineyards, and diverse range of premium cool-climate wines.

The Joyce family have been orchardists at Lenswood for over 100 years and also have extensive operations in the Riverland. Together with Andrew they have established this vineyard site, which was previously apple and pear orchards, is characterized by steep North and East facing slopes and possesses fantastic gravelly clay and loam soils which are ideally suited to the classic cool climate varieties that have been planted – Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. to sauvignon blanc (5.9ha), pinot noir (5.73ha), pinot gris (3.22ha), chardonnay (3.18ha) and semillon (0.47ha). The wines are made at the Pikes’ Clare Valley winery and exported around the world.

The vineyard is all hand pruned and handpicked with the fruit being chilled overnight in the Joyce cool rooms. Traditional old world techniques as well as modern Australian winemaking are incorporated to produce a style which reflects the variety and region."

Pike & Joyce owns and operates vineyards covering around 32 hectares in the Lenswood area of Adelaide Hills. The vineyards are planted at varying altitudes, providing an excellent opportunity to grow a variety of grape varieties that thrive in the cool climate.