


Top Chardonnay Selection - 6 Pack Value
This is Great……and Here’s Why!
A packs of top chardonnay selection wine, delivered straight to you from Pop Up Wine. A great value 6 pack featuring some of the best wines!
1 x Atticus Chardonnay 2010 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
95/100 James Halliday
94/100 James Halliday (2011 vintage)
96/100 James Halliday (2013 vintage)
96/100 James Halliday (2014 vintage)
96/100 James Halliday (2016 vintage)
95/100 James Halliday (2006 vintage)
95/100 Huon Hooke (2006 vintage)
Silver - International Wine Challenge
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards
Bronze - Royal Sydney Wine Show
Australian Wine Companion - Best Margaret River Wineries of the Regions 2020
5/5 Stars - Winestate Chardonnay Tasting
Decanter Magazine - 'Recommended'
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2009 vintage)
Silver - International Wine Challenge (2009 vintage)
Since the release of the Chapman Grove range in 2006, Chapman Grove wines have been awarded 4 Trophies, 3 Top Gold, 3 Gold, 8 Silver and 39 Bronze Medals.
James Halliday ""Vibrant green hue; nectarine, grapefruit and lots of attractive oak from judicious oak handling; the zesty acidity provides a lively palate that is direct and long, powerful and precise; a complex and heady blend of power and finesse the west is becoming famous for.""
Winestate ""Lovely deep golden-green chardonnay showing toasty nutty aromas and rich, full-bodied, fleshy palate, with attractive layers of varietal fruit intensity.""
Decanter ""Elegant and restrained with very nice notes of white peaches and nectarines. Medium-bodied, creamy and crisp with long stone fruit after taste.""
Roger Jones "Lush, rich and lingering, full-on texture and multi-layered lingering fruit and developing well."
Alessandro Marchesan "Elegant and restrained with very nice notes of white peaches and nectarines. Medium-bodied, creamy and crisp with long stone fruit after taste."
James Halliday ""A very successful venture under the control of CEO Ron Fraser. The wines come from the estate vineyards planted to chardonnay, Semillon, sauvignon blanc, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.....[The winery's] ultra-premium wines are under the Atticus label.""
Atticus is owned by Chapman Grove Wines; a small winery focussed on making limited edition fine wines from Margaret River, Western Australia. Described by Australia's N#1 wine critic, James Halliday as ""a very successful venture"", the winery is known for its highly rated wines and was established in 2005 by an esteemed veteran of the industry, Ron Fraser. Pop Up Wine has secured back vintages of a collection of its highly rated wines.
Atticus utilises exceptional fruit which is all 100% estate grown to create its world-class wines. Its range includes varieties most suited to the Margaret River climate, with French oak used to bring out flavours of the terroir, creating a true expression of the region.
The winery achieved the highly coveted 5 Red Star rating from James Halliday within three short years of first entering the Wine Companion in 2009. Since the the estate's first release in 2006, its wines have been awarded 4 Trophies, 3 Top Gold, 3 Gold, 8 Silver and 39 Bronze medals.
Chardonnay is the world's most famous white-wine grape and also one of the most widely planted. Although the most highly regarded expressions of the variety are those from Burgundy and California, many high-quality examples are made in Italy, Australia, New Zealand and parts of South America.
1 x McHenry Hohnen Calgardup Chardonnay 2018 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
95/100 Campbell Mattinson
91/100 Decanter World Wine Awards
97/100 - Top Chardonnay Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2023 (2020 vintage)
95/100 The Wine Front (2017 vintage)
93/100 James Suckling (2017 vintage)
94/100 The Wine Front (2016 vintage)
94/11 Decanter World Wine Awards (2015 vintage)
97/100 The Real Review (2015 vintage)
96/100 The West Australian Wine Guide 2017 (2015 vintage)
95/100 James Halliday Wine Companion 2017 (2014 vintage)
93/100 The Real Review (2014 vintage)
Bronze - Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2019
Bronze - 2019 Langton's Margaret River Wine Show
Silver - Wine Show of Western Australia 2019
5-star Winery – Halliday Wine Companion
Halliday's Wine Companion Awards 2023 - Top Wineries of 2022 & 2023
Organic
Campbell Mattinson “Elegant power is a good way to describe it. It's flinty but not too much so, fleshed with stone fruit, touched up with meal and green apple, and intricately complex to close. All the while sweet fruit flows. It's an easy wine to get excited over.”
Decanter “Soft and creamy, with intense lemon curd augmenting baking spice, green pineapple and mango skin. Packed and phenolic, with freshness and length.”
The Winemaker “The nose opens with notes of oyster shell, frangipani and sea spray with delicate nashi pear pulp and nectarine. Wild fermentation with full solids provides flinty complexity and extended time on lees adds intrigue and excellent length to the palate. A distinctive saline acidity and attractive chalk-like structure complement the mineral nature of this unique Southern Margaret River vineyard near the Indian Ocean.”
Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2023, Erin Larkin "Fruit from the Calgardup Brook vineyard (planted 1997) on coastal limestone loam. All single-vineyard chardonnays are made in the same way here, highlighting the differences in terroir: Hand picked, whole-bunch pressed, full solids, wild ferment in barrel (25% new) and 4 months' maturation, partial mlf, fortnightly bâtonnage. Where the Burnside is granitic, mineral and fine, this is pithy, saline and expansive, with layers of cheesecloth and lanolin amongst the ripe stone fruit. More volume and density of flavour than the Burnside (neither here nor there qualitatively, simply an observation), this is sensational. Utterly." (2020 vintage)
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front "Far out. How good are McHenry Hohnen wines getting? And quite diverse in their feel compared to most from the region. Stellar. Lots of battonage, lots of lees, “I’m just obsessed with flavour” says winemaker Julian Grounds. Righteous. So much to like here. A quietly powerful, detailed chardonnay that shows with citrus, green apple, lashings of ‘mineral’, faint toast and whiffs of peanut/cashew. The palate follows a similar route, powerful in flavour but not stretching the palate with oomph, instead, precise, tight, true and long. Scintillating stuff here." (2017 vintage)
Nick Butler, The Real Review "An attractive mix of white stone fruits, citrus rind and classy oak. It's creamy on the front palate, which dives into a tart lemon and lime acidity. Bright, fresh and balanced; it's a lovely wine, though lacking the core and fruit weight of warmer ripening seasons."" (2017 Vintage)
Nick Stock, James Suckling""Quite savory and elegant chardonnay with aromas of fresh pastry and dry stones, as well as white melon and light peach. The palate has sleek, elegantly cut style with melon and peach here, too, Very crisp, long and elegant. Drink or hold. Screw cap." (2017 vintage)
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front ""White peach, mint nougat, subtle spice, stones and struck match. Medium bodied, cool and flinty, beautiful fine acidity, citrus and a suggestion of lemon curd, with a tight long lemon-laced finish. Great bone structure here, and a fine and exciting wine to drink."" (2016 vintage)
Nick Ryan, The Australian "The coolest of the three sites, feeling the force of the ocean breezes and planted on coastal sand. It shows. The wine is lean, tight and linear, smells of sea spray and the pith of preserved lemons, and hums with a fine, flinty acidity. For now, my pick of the three."
Peter Forrestal, Decanter "Sourced from an estate vineyard in the region's cool south near Witchcliffe, this has restrained power and tightly coiled grapefruit and citrus flavours, before a mouth-puckering finish that lingers."" (2015 Vintage)
Ray Jordan, The West Australian Wine Guide 2017 "Another superb wine from this vineyard which always seems to to produce wines of such delicate finesse and fineness. This is right on the money but still with an intensity and persistence that stamps the chardonnay style. The best yet from this vineyard." (2015 vintage)
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front " We’ve all known that McHenry Hohnen has been a bit of a secret weapon for terrific (chardonnay particularly) Margaret River wines, but with their shift to biodynamic farming and now a new winemaker in Julian Grounds, hold onto your hats. Grounds has done his time at Giant Steps with Steve Flamsteed, and has papal blessings from Flamsteed in this new role. Indeed, word on the street is, many, many people are thrilled for this move. A touch of high end Yarra hits Margs. Nice one. Grounds in his early days has already reached out to say gday, personally, unprompted it felt, which says something about determination and intent. Stay tuned.
Complex bouquet shows stone fruit, green apple, faint flint/struck match, whiff of grilled nuts, faint fern character. Pitch perfect delicate. More assertive to taste with a flood of green apple, savoury oatmeal and nuttiness, gentle cedar spice, cool acidity. Even flow, superb balance, elegance. It’s very, very good, seamless, supple chardonnay. Classic. " (2015 Vintage)
James Halliday ""The Calgardup Brook Vineyard lies just inland from the coast, with well weathered sandy, schisty soils; hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed to French oak (20% new), wild-fermented, no mlf, aged on lees. Lemon meringue is a great call for the bouquet, some spice also in the action; elegant white peach flavours give way to bouncy grapefruit zest on the well balanced and long finish." (2014 intage)
Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Light, bright yellow hue and a lifted ethyl acetate aroma, the volatility confirmed by the palate. It has issues. Most drinkers would not identify them, but the VA (volatile acidity) did inhibit the flavour and aroma. Extraordinarily, though, the longer this wine was exposed to the air, the better it tasted. Food (Comte cheese) also helped tame the beast. It soon became delicious. Very dry, nicely concentrated flavour and acidity, layers of complex aromas and flavours, good oak and 'worked' lees characters. A very good wine indeed. Wild ferment VA is forgiven." (2014 vintage)
James Halliday "Whole bunch-pressed, wild yeast-fermented, matured in French barriques (20% new) with lees contact. Is very focused and tight, its flavours wound up in a ball of fruit, with generic white stone fruit and melon lurking in the shadows."" (2013 Vintage)
Huon Hooke, The Real Review ""Medium to full straw-yellow hue. The bouquet is toasty and lightly smoky, attractive and quite complex, with richness and concentration, depth and weight. Indeed, it's an opulent style, full-bodied and generously proportioned. The finish is very long and resonant, partly due to the heat from apparently high alcohol. (it certainly seems higher than the stated 13.5%) This needs food and would cope with strongly flavoured white meat dishes."" (2013 Vintage)
James Halliday Wine Companion 2014 "This has the lightest colour of the three, here the soils, just inland from the coast, are sandy and schisty, and well weathered; it is the most intense and elegant, with white stone fruit and grapefruit at its core." (2012 vintage)
James Halliday Wine Companion 2012 "Bright straw-green; the faintly funky bouquet is complex, an appropriate introduction for a palate with layers of flavour of white peach and fig/cashew ex partial mlf, before glorious grapefruit acidity takes over and drives the wine through to its lingering, pure finish." (2009 vintage)
McHenry Hohnen was founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen and his brother in law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970’s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focuses on crafting site-expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.
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.
Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grapes. Chardonnay is made in a wide range of styles from lean to rich, creamy white wines aged in oak. Bolder, richer, full-bodied and buttery Chardonnays are made using oak and are produced in California, Burgundy, and Australia. Unoaked chardonnays such as Chablis and those produced in Chile, New Zealand, and other parts of France are leaner and often crisp and mineraly, with delicate flavors. By law, if a label says “Chablis,” it must be Chardonnay.
1 x Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 - Victoria, Australia
93/100 The Wine Front
92/100 Halliday Wine Companion
90/100 The Real Review
91/100 Toni Paterson MW (2018 vintage)
91/100 Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine (2018 vintage)
96/100 GOLD James Halliday (2017 vintage)
95/200 Jeremy Oliver (2017 vintage)
92/100 The Wine Front (2017 vintage)
Four Stars - Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine (2018 vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2010 vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2008 vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2009 vintage)
James Halliday 5 Star Winery
The Wine Front "Very Nice Chardonnay....Refreshing for sure. Good detail.... It does struck match and flint, it does citrus and green apple, some spicy oak there, it does a slightly rubbery tightness and a milky haze in texture through glass shard cuts. It’s a wine that feels primped and preened into its style of racy, leaner, taut, rather than reflecting inherent fruit character, but in that way hits its markers and will delight an audience of appreciative drinkers...."
Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion "No single-block wines this vintage, with all fruit allocated to the single-vineyard wines across the range. This has morphed into a more savoury wine with almost a complete absence of fruit flavours, except for a flutter of citrus. It has the sulphide stamp, the restraint yet even tighter with acidity leading. A hint of beeswax, just the finest creamy leesy flavour....don't chill it down too much."
The Real Review "palate is restrained, lean and high-tensioned. Enjoy with food."
The Winemaker "Defined by its fresh, citrus blossom aromatic lift and precise long, lingering finish. Characteristic pure and intense aroma. The palate is poised and complex, with layered fruit flavours. Tightly wound together with a precise minerality, the wine has beautiful line and length."
Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine “Elegant and beautifully balanced.....Opens with spicy cracked black pepper and bright notes of freshly picked blackberries. Plush and open with lovely freshness and vibrancy offering attractive fruit purity and peppery complexity....combines black cherry aromas with oak spices and a subtle touch of whole-bunch fragrance. There’s supple flesh on the palate with plenty of balanced tannin.” (2018 vintage)
The Winemaker "A perfumed and spicy Syrah, medium-bodied in style. The palate is concentrated and silky, with finely structured tannins, bright fruit characters, wonderful elegance and depth. Aged for 11 months in French oak. Stored carefully, this wine will age gracefully for ten years. " (2018 vintage)
Australian Wine Companion "This is another fantastic release under this label. Garden herbs, nuts, twigs and spice notes blend seamlessly with red and black cherries, licorice and wood smoke. Flamboyance is its middle name, but it has the discipline to make the most of it." (2017 vintage)
Yabby Lake Vineyard was established by the Kirby family in 1998 and over the past decade, Yabby Lake has built a reputation for single-vineyard Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of great purity and character.
James Halliday "This high-profile wine business was established by Robert and Mem Kirby (of Village Roadshow), who had been landowners in the Mornington Peninsula for decades. In 1998 they established Yabby Lake Vineyard, under the direction of vineyard manager Keith Harris; the vineyard is on a north-facing slope, capturing maximum sunshine while also receiving sea breezes. The main focus is the 25ha of pinot noir, 14ha of chardonnay and 8ha of pinot gris; 3h of shiraz, merlot and sauvignon blanc take a back seat. The arrival of the hugely talented Tom Carson as Group Winemaker has added lustre to the winery and its wines, making the first Jimmy Watson Trophy-winning Pinot Noir in 2014, and continuing to blitz the Australian wine show circuit with Single Block Pinots."
Led by Tom Carson ""one of Australia's most lauded winemakers"" so cites Huon Hooke of the Real Review. Under Carson's direction, Yabby Lake's philosophy is to craft wines representative of their site and their season in which they were grown. Yabby Lake believe it’s this attention and care in the vineyard that is most critical to allowing this expression.
Huon Hooke "One of Carson’s biggest moments was winning the Jimmy Watson Trophy [Australia's most prestigious winemaker accolade] with his 2012 Block 1 Pinot Noir – the first pinot ever to win this coveted award."
Mornington Peninsula is one of Victoria's most important Australian wine regions, located an hour's drive south of Melbourne on the southern coast of Australia. It is one of Australia's coolest winegrowing regions and produces elegant Chardonnay and internationally award-winning Pinot Noir wines, and gaining a reputation for its quality medium-bodied, peppery shiraz.
Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grapes, Chardonnay is made in a wide range of styles from lean, to rich, creamy white wines aged in oak. Bolder, richer, full-bodied and buttery Chardonnays are made using oak and are produced in California, Burgundy, and Australia. Unoaked chardonnays such as Chablis and those produced in Chile, New Zealand, and other parts of France are leaner and often crisp and mineraly, with delicate flavors. By law, if a label says “Chablis,” it must be Chardonnay."
1 x Giant Steps Applejack Chardonnay 2018 ~ Yarra Valley, Australia
95/100 James Suckling
94/100 Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
92/100 Wine Enthusiast
92/100 The Wine Advocate
90/100 Decanter World Wine Awards
95/100 The Wine Front (2017 Vintage)
92/100 Wine Spectator (2017 Vintage)
96/100 Halliday Wine Companion Awards
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards
Halliday Wine Companion Awards, James Halliday " A spotless bouquet and an elegant palate of great length. Stone fruits and melon are threaded through a faint gauze of acidity, oak barely seen. This is an exercise in balance, and the certainty of future greatness."
Decanter World Wine Awards "Restrained, with delicate hints of green apple, grapefruit pith and white peach, while the herbaceous palate has a yellow liquorice finish."
James Suckling "The palate has a smooth, evenly paced and sleek feel. Polished texture and good depth of fresh white peaches and pears....Apples and honeydew melon with pie crust and poached pears in a fresh, attractive mode..."
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front "Electric and lacy, mouth-watering and ultra fresh. Bright and brisk style really nicely done....Flinty, lean, racy style. Good puckering feel and tight, squeaky race across the palate. Citrus, wet stone, frangipani floral things to sniff on. Stone and flint licks to taste, a squeeze of grapefruit, green apple, pickled ginger, sparkling almost in its transparent whip-crack across the palate. "
The Wine Advocate "It's a medium-bodied but plump and generous offering, with melon and pineapple fruit filling out the silky-textured mid-palate, then easing into a long, citrusy finish."
Wine Enthusiast "...The palate is richly textured and laced with minerals. The wood is present but not overwhelming...Coming from vines 200 meters higher and nine years younger than this producer's other single-vineyard Chardonay, Tarraford, this wine is clearly made in the same vein, but shows distinctive differences. Less fruity, this vintage is initially a touch reductive and oaked, but as it warms in the glass, notes of salted nuts and honey, along with delicate citrus, float to the fore. "
Giant Steps is a privately owned, estate based, Yarra Valley grower and winemaker. Giant Steps has forged a reputation for delivering some of Australia’s most consistent, over-performing, varietal wines. These wines have received global acclaim and established a strong reputation in restaurants and fine wine stores around the world. Since 2003 Giant Steps wines have collectively been awarded 19 trophies and over 50 gold medals at major international and domestic wine shows and have been named one of the Top 100 Wineries in the World by Wine & Spirits Magazine, US for each of the last three years.
Owner Phil Sexton came to wine via beer. He started Little Creatures, a favourite of Aussie hopheads, in Perth (Western Australia). Yarra Valley is a region with a cool climate, best known for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Yarra Valley is an hour’s drive east of Melbourne. Applejack Vineyard was planted in 1997 by highly respected viticulturist Ray Guerin Today it is meticulously managed by his son Mark.
Applejack Vineyard is situated in the Upper Yarra Valley, to the south-east of the traditional valley floor. The higher altitudes result in cooler growing conditions - ideal for Pinot Noir. Applejack Vineyard is located on a dramatic, north-east-facing slope with close-planted vines. This vineyard was purchased by Phil Sexton in 2013.
1 x McHenry Hohnen Hazels Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
96/100 Erin Larkin (Halliday's Wine Companion)
93/100 Aaron Brasher (The Real Review)
90/100 Wine Enthusiast
95/100 James Halliday (2019 vintage)
93/100 Stuart Knox (2019 vintage)
94/100 James Halliday (2018 vintage)
94/100 Huon Hooke (2018 vintage)
93/100 The Wine Front (2018 vintage)
93/100 James Suckling (2018 vintage)
94/100 James Halliday (2017 vintage)
93/100 Huon Hooke (2017 vintage)
17/20 Jancis Robinson (2017 vintage)
5 Star Winery - James Halliday
"Halliday Wine Companion - Australian Winery of the Year 2022 & 2023"
Erin Larkin "...This is super-serious. Unbelievable value for money: scintillating citrus acid line, concentrated, mouth-staining fruit and complex layers of crushed nuts, creamy tannins ... all wrapped into a long and reverberating tail of flavour. Hand-picked fruit from 4 southern Margaret River vineyards: Hazel's, Calgardup, Burnside and Chapman, whole-bunch pressed, wild ferment in French oak (25% new). Barrels left unsulphured over winter, a portion undergoing mlf. Matured for 10 months in barrel. Wowsers."
Wine Enthusiast "Bold on the nose and displaying a pronounced yellow color, this is no wallflower Chardonnay. The nose opens with an overt, toasty oak character that competes robustly with the apples, pears and nectarines on the palate. Generous in body, with a touch of glycerol and some evident heat on the palate, this wine is full-throttle in palate feel. Strong notes of pastry and nougat lead on the medium finish. The medium acidity could use a touch more oomph to balance with this wine’s considerable weight."
Aaron Brasher "Complex aromas of grilled nuts, nougat, white stone fruit, white flowers and struck-match. Tight and focused on the palate, grapefruit, melon, nectarine, nutty oak and a briney edge. The acidity is crunchy and there's a phenolic touch that provides grip, structure and mouth-feel"
James Halliday "After a reticent bouquet, this springs into life on the palate with its clear-as-a-bell white peach/grapefruit varietal signature. French oak is little more than a shadow in the background, development potential unlimited." (2019 vintage)
Stuart Knox "Medium straw-yellow colour in the glass, with a nose of roasted cashews, nectarine and hint of struck-match. Just-ripe white nectarine, bacon fat and oyster-brine fill the mouth whilst a lemon zest acidity coils it tightly across the palate. Very impressive drive and intensity, carrying it long and lingering for an age" (2019 vintage)
James Halliday "From three estate vineyards, made in the same way as the three single vineyard wines: whole-bunch pressed, oxidative handling, wild yeast and retention of full solids, matured in tank for 3 months on lees. It has built great depth, but less length." (2018 vintage)
Huon Hooke "Bright, light to mid-yellow colour, with a strong smoky-reductive and toasty barrel bouquet, the palate also benefiting from the added complexity this brings. Rich and savoury at the same time, with a long, harmonious and rewarding aftertaste. An excellent chardonnay in a full-throttle style." (2018 Vintage)
James Suckling " Impressive aromas of lemons and peaches here with light hazelnut notes, too. Very complex. The palate is packed with gently creamy peach and nectarine flavors. Smooth, mouth-filling finish. Drink now. Screw cap." (2018 Vintage)
James Halliday "A new line for McHenry Hohnen from three estate vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel's), the same vinification as for the single vineyard Chardonnays, blended in Oct into tank on full lees. Reflects the southern Margaret River, bright and almost savoury juiciness, zesty phenolic grip to the finish." (2017 vintage)
Huon Hooke " Light, bright yellow hue and an intense, refined, chalky mineral aroma over honey and cool-grown restrained but concentrated fruit. A very fine, intense, compact wine with balance and charm aplenty. The finish is clean, crisp and dry, and leaves the mouth refreshed. Long, long aftertaste." (2017 vintage)
The Winemaker "After desirable conditions during flowering, the summer started cool and wet, slowing down the growing season significantly. Conditions improved in late February, developing into a perfect Indian summer. The result is whites that are packed with energy and poise, and reds that got the benefit of a long, cool ripening periods; tannin ripeness and complex flavour developments. Alcohols are lower than previous years, even with greater physiological ripeness." (2017 vintage)
Founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen and his brother in law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970’s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focusses on crafting site-expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.
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 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.
Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grapes, Chardonnay is made in a wide range of styles from lean, to rich, creamy white wines aged in oak. Bolder, richer, full-bodied and buttery Chardonnays are made using oak and are produced in California, Burgundy, and Australia. Unoaked chardonnays such as Chablis and those produced in Chile, New Zealand, and other parts of France are leaner and often crisp and mineraly, with delicate flavors. By law, if a label says “Chablis,” it must be Chardonnay.
A packs of top chardonnay selection wine, delivered straight to you from Pop Up Wine. A great value 6 pack featuring some of the best wines!
1 x Atticus Chardonnay 2010 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
95/100 James Halliday
94/100 James Halliday (2011 vintage)
96/100 James Halliday (2013 vintage)
96/100 James Halliday (2014 vintage)
96/100 James Halliday (2016 vintage)
95/100 James Halliday (2006 vintage)
95/100 Huon Hooke (2006 vintage)
Silver - International Wine Challenge
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards
Bronze - Royal Sydney Wine Show
Australian Wine Companion - Best Margaret River Wineries of the Regions 2020
5/5 Stars - Winestate Chardonnay Tasting
Decanter Magazine - 'Recommended'
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2009 vintage)
Silver - International Wine Challenge (2009 vintage)
Since the release of the Chapman Grove range in 2006, Chapman Grove wines have been awarded 4 Trophies, 3 Top Gold, 3 Gold, 8 Silver and 39 Bronze Medals.
James Halliday ""Vibrant green hue; nectarine, grapefruit and lots of attractive oak from judicious oak handling; the zesty acidity provides a lively palate that is direct and long, powerful and precise; a complex and heady blend of power and finesse the west is becoming famous for.""
Winestate ""Lovely deep golden-green chardonnay showing toasty nutty aromas and rich, full-bodied, fleshy palate, with attractive layers of varietal fruit intensity.""
Decanter ""Elegant and restrained with very nice notes of white peaches and nectarines. Medium-bodied, creamy and crisp with long stone fruit after taste.""
Roger Jones "Lush, rich and lingering, full-on texture and multi-layered lingering fruit and developing well."
Alessandro Marchesan "Elegant and restrained with very nice notes of white peaches and nectarines. Medium-bodied, creamy and crisp with long stone fruit after taste."
James Halliday ""A very successful venture under the control of CEO Ron Fraser. The wines come from the estate vineyards planted to chardonnay, Semillon, sauvignon blanc, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.....[The winery's] ultra-premium wines are under the Atticus label.""
Atticus is owned by Chapman Grove Wines; a small winery focussed on making limited edition fine wines from Margaret River, Western Australia. Described by Australia's N#1 wine critic, James Halliday as ""a very successful venture"", the winery is known for its highly rated wines and was established in 2005 by an esteemed veteran of the industry, Ron Fraser. Pop Up Wine has secured back vintages of a collection of its highly rated wines.
Atticus utilises exceptional fruit which is all 100% estate grown to create its world-class wines. Its range includes varieties most suited to the Margaret River climate, with French oak used to bring out flavours of the terroir, creating a true expression of the region.
The winery achieved the highly coveted 5 Red Star rating from James Halliday within three short years of first entering the Wine Companion in 2009. Since the the estate's first release in 2006, its wines have been awarded 4 Trophies, 3 Top Gold, 3 Gold, 8 Silver and 39 Bronze medals.
Chardonnay is the world's most famous white-wine grape and also one of the most widely planted. Although the most highly regarded expressions of the variety are those from Burgundy and California, many high-quality examples are made in Italy, Australia, New Zealand and parts of South America.
1 x McHenry Hohnen Calgardup Chardonnay 2018 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
95/100 Campbell Mattinson
91/100 Decanter World Wine Awards
97/100 - Top Chardonnay Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2023 (2020 vintage)
95/100 The Wine Front (2017 vintage)
93/100 James Suckling (2017 vintage)
94/100 The Wine Front (2016 vintage)
94/11 Decanter World Wine Awards (2015 vintage)
97/100 The Real Review (2015 vintage)
96/100 The West Australian Wine Guide 2017 (2015 vintage)
95/100 James Halliday Wine Companion 2017 (2014 vintage)
93/100 The Real Review (2014 vintage)
Bronze - Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2019
Bronze - 2019 Langton's Margaret River Wine Show
Silver - Wine Show of Western Australia 2019
5-star Winery – Halliday Wine Companion
Halliday's Wine Companion Awards 2023 - Top Wineries of 2022 & 2023
Organic
Campbell Mattinson “Elegant power is a good way to describe it. It's flinty but not too much so, fleshed with stone fruit, touched up with meal and green apple, and intricately complex to close. All the while sweet fruit flows. It's an easy wine to get excited over.”
Decanter “Soft and creamy, with intense lemon curd augmenting baking spice, green pineapple and mango skin. Packed and phenolic, with freshness and length.”
The Winemaker “The nose opens with notes of oyster shell, frangipani and sea spray with delicate nashi pear pulp and nectarine. Wild fermentation with full solids provides flinty complexity and extended time on lees adds intrigue and excellent length to the palate. A distinctive saline acidity and attractive chalk-like structure complement the mineral nature of this unique Southern Margaret River vineyard near the Indian Ocean.”
Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2023, Erin Larkin "Fruit from the Calgardup Brook vineyard (planted 1997) on coastal limestone loam. All single-vineyard chardonnays are made in the same way here, highlighting the differences in terroir: Hand picked, whole-bunch pressed, full solids, wild ferment in barrel (25% new) and 4 months' maturation, partial mlf, fortnightly bâtonnage. Where the Burnside is granitic, mineral and fine, this is pithy, saline and expansive, with layers of cheesecloth and lanolin amongst the ripe stone fruit. More volume and density of flavour than the Burnside (neither here nor there qualitatively, simply an observation), this is sensational. Utterly." (2020 vintage)
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front "Far out. How good are McHenry Hohnen wines getting? And quite diverse in their feel compared to most from the region. Stellar. Lots of battonage, lots of lees, “I’m just obsessed with flavour” says winemaker Julian Grounds. Righteous. So much to like here. A quietly powerful, detailed chardonnay that shows with citrus, green apple, lashings of ‘mineral’, faint toast and whiffs of peanut/cashew. The palate follows a similar route, powerful in flavour but not stretching the palate with oomph, instead, precise, tight, true and long. Scintillating stuff here." (2017 vintage)
Nick Butler, The Real Review "An attractive mix of white stone fruits, citrus rind and classy oak. It's creamy on the front palate, which dives into a tart lemon and lime acidity. Bright, fresh and balanced; it's a lovely wine, though lacking the core and fruit weight of warmer ripening seasons."" (2017 Vintage)
Nick Stock, James Suckling""Quite savory and elegant chardonnay with aromas of fresh pastry and dry stones, as well as white melon and light peach. The palate has sleek, elegantly cut style with melon and peach here, too, Very crisp, long and elegant. Drink or hold. Screw cap." (2017 vintage)
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front ""White peach, mint nougat, subtle spice, stones and struck match. Medium bodied, cool and flinty, beautiful fine acidity, citrus and a suggestion of lemon curd, with a tight long lemon-laced finish. Great bone structure here, and a fine and exciting wine to drink."" (2016 vintage)
Nick Ryan, The Australian "The coolest of the three sites, feeling the force of the ocean breezes and planted on coastal sand. It shows. The wine is lean, tight and linear, smells of sea spray and the pith of preserved lemons, and hums with a fine, flinty acidity. For now, my pick of the three."
Peter Forrestal, Decanter "Sourced from an estate vineyard in the region's cool south near Witchcliffe, this has restrained power and tightly coiled grapefruit and citrus flavours, before a mouth-puckering finish that lingers."" (2015 Vintage)
Ray Jordan, The West Australian Wine Guide 2017 "Another superb wine from this vineyard which always seems to to produce wines of such delicate finesse and fineness. This is right on the money but still with an intensity and persistence that stamps the chardonnay style. The best yet from this vineyard." (2015 vintage)
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front " We’ve all known that McHenry Hohnen has been a bit of a secret weapon for terrific (chardonnay particularly) Margaret River wines, but with their shift to biodynamic farming and now a new winemaker in Julian Grounds, hold onto your hats. Grounds has done his time at Giant Steps with Steve Flamsteed, and has papal blessings from Flamsteed in this new role. Indeed, word on the street is, many, many people are thrilled for this move. A touch of high end Yarra hits Margs. Nice one. Grounds in his early days has already reached out to say gday, personally, unprompted it felt, which says something about determination and intent. Stay tuned.
Complex bouquet shows stone fruit, green apple, faint flint/struck match, whiff of grilled nuts, faint fern character. Pitch perfect delicate. More assertive to taste with a flood of green apple, savoury oatmeal and nuttiness, gentle cedar spice, cool acidity. Even flow, superb balance, elegance. It’s very, very good, seamless, supple chardonnay. Classic. " (2015 Vintage)
James Halliday ""The Calgardup Brook Vineyard lies just inland from the coast, with well weathered sandy, schisty soils; hand-picked, whole bunch-pressed to French oak (20% new), wild-fermented, no mlf, aged on lees. Lemon meringue is a great call for the bouquet, some spice also in the action; elegant white peach flavours give way to bouncy grapefruit zest on the well balanced and long finish." (2014 intage)
Huon Hooke, The Real Review "Light, bright yellow hue and a lifted ethyl acetate aroma, the volatility confirmed by the palate. It has issues. Most drinkers would not identify them, but the VA (volatile acidity) did inhibit the flavour and aroma. Extraordinarily, though, the longer this wine was exposed to the air, the better it tasted. Food (Comte cheese) also helped tame the beast. It soon became delicious. Very dry, nicely concentrated flavour and acidity, layers of complex aromas and flavours, good oak and 'worked' lees characters. A very good wine indeed. Wild ferment VA is forgiven." (2014 vintage)
James Halliday "Whole bunch-pressed, wild yeast-fermented, matured in French barriques (20% new) with lees contact. Is very focused and tight, its flavours wound up in a ball of fruit, with generic white stone fruit and melon lurking in the shadows."" (2013 Vintage)
Huon Hooke, The Real Review ""Medium to full straw-yellow hue. The bouquet is toasty and lightly smoky, attractive and quite complex, with richness and concentration, depth and weight. Indeed, it's an opulent style, full-bodied and generously proportioned. The finish is very long and resonant, partly due to the heat from apparently high alcohol. (it certainly seems higher than the stated 13.5%) This needs food and would cope with strongly flavoured white meat dishes."" (2013 Vintage)
James Halliday Wine Companion 2014 "This has the lightest colour of the three, here the soils, just inland from the coast, are sandy and schisty, and well weathered; it is the most intense and elegant, with white stone fruit and grapefruit at its core." (2012 vintage)
James Halliday Wine Companion 2012 "Bright straw-green; the faintly funky bouquet is complex, an appropriate introduction for a palate with layers of flavour of white peach and fig/cashew ex partial mlf, before glorious grapefruit acidity takes over and drives the wine through to its lingering, pure finish." (2009 vintage)
McHenry Hohnen was founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen and his brother in law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970’s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focuses on crafting site-expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.
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.
Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grapes. Chardonnay is made in a wide range of styles from lean to rich, creamy white wines aged in oak. Bolder, richer, full-bodied and buttery Chardonnays are made using oak and are produced in California, Burgundy, and Australia. Unoaked chardonnays such as Chablis and those produced in Chile, New Zealand, and other parts of France are leaner and often crisp and mineraly, with delicate flavors. By law, if a label says “Chablis,” it must be Chardonnay.
1 x Yabby Lake Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 - Victoria, Australia
93/100 The Wine Front
92/100 Halliday Wine Companion
90/100 The Real Review
91/100 Toni Paterson MW (2018 vintage)
91/100 Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine (2018 vintage)
96/100 GOLD James Halliday (2017 vintage)
95/200 Jeremy Oliver (2017 vintage)
92/100 The Wine Front (2017 vintage)
Four Stars - Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine (2018 vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2010 vintage)
Bronze - Decanter World Wine Awards (2008 vintage)
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards (2009 vintage)
James Halliday 5 Star Winery
The Wine Front "Very Nice Chardonnay....Refreshing for sure. Good detail.... It does struck match and flint, it does citrus and green apple, some spicy oak there, it does a slightly rubbery tightness and a milky haze in texture through glass shard cuts. It’s a wine that feels primped and preened into its style of racy, leaner, taut, rather than reflecting inherent fruit character, but in that way hits its markers and will delight an audience of appreciative drinkers...."
Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion "No single-block wines this vintage, with all fruit allocated to the single-vineyard wines across the range. This has morphed into a more savoury wine with almost a complete absence of fruit flavours, except for a flutter of citrus. It has the sulphide stamp, the restraint yet even tighter with acidity leading. A hint of beeswax, just the finest creamy leesy flavour....don't chill it down too much."
The Real Review "palate is restrained, lean and high-tensioned. Enjoy with food."
The Winemaker "Defined by its fresh, citrus blossom aromatic lift and precise long, lingering finish. Characteristic pure and intense aroma. The palate is poised and complex, with layered fruit flavours. Tightly wound together with a precise minerality, the wine has beautiful line and length."
Australian Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine “Elegant and beautifully balanced.....Opens with spicy cracked black pepper and bright notes of freshly picked blackberries. Plush and open with lovely freshness and vibrancy offering attractive fruit purity and peppery complexity....combines black cherry aromas with oak spices and a subtle touch of whole-bunch fragrance. There’s supple flesh on the palate with plenty of balanced tannin.” (2018 vintage)
The Winemaker "A perfumed and spicy Syrah, medium-bodied in style. The palate is concentrated and silky, with finely structured tannins, bright fruit characters, wonderful elegance and depth. Aged for 11 months in French oak. Stored carefully, this wine will age gracefully for ten years. " (2018 vintage)
Australian Wine Companion "This is another fantastic release under this label. Garden herbs, nuts, twigs and spice notes blend seamlessly with red and black cherries, licorice and wood smoke. Flamboyance is its middle name, but it has the discipline to make the most of it." (2017 vintage)
Yabby Lake Vineyard was established by the Kirby family in 1998 and over the past decade, Yabby Lake has built a reputation for single-vineyard Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay and Pinot Noir of great purity and character.
James Halliday "This high-profile wine business was established by Robert and Mem Kirby (of Village Roadshow), who had been landowners in the Mornington Peninsula for decades. In 1998 they established Yabby Lake Vineyard, under the direction of vineyard manager Keith Harris; the vineyard is on a north-facing slope, capturing maximum sunshine while also receiving sea breezes. The main focus is the 25ha of pinot noir, 14ha of chardonnay and 8ha of pinot gris; 3h of shiraz, merlot and sauvignon blanc take a back seat. The arrival of the hugely talented Tom Carson as Group Winemaker has added lustre to the winery and its wines, making the first Jimmy Watson Trophy-winning Pinot Noir in 2014, and continuing to blitz the Australian wine show circuit with Single Block Pinots."
Led by Tom Carson ""one of Australia's most lauded winemakers"" so cites Huon Hooke of the Real Review. Under Carson's direction, Yabby Lake's philosophy is to craft wines representative of their site and their season in which they were grown. Yabby Lake believe it’s this attention and care in the vineyard that is most critical to allowing this expression.
Huon Hooke "One of Carson’s biggest moments was winning the Jimmy Watson Trophy [Australia's most prestigious winemaker accolade] with his 2012 Block 1 Pinot Noir – the first pinot ever to win this coveted award."
Mornington Peninsula is one of Victoria's most important Australian wine regions, located an hour's drive south of Melbourne on the southern coast of Australia. It is one of Australia's coolest winegrowing regions and produces elegant Chardonnay and internationally award-winning Pinot Noir wines, and gaining a reputation for its quality medium-bodied, peppery shiraz.
Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grapes, Chardonnay is made in a wide range of styles from lean, to rich, creamy white wines aged in oak. Bolder, richer, full-bodied and buttery Chardonnays are made using oak and are produced in California, Burgundy, and Australia. Unoaked chardonnays such as Chablis and those produced in Chile, New Zealand, and other parts of France are leaner and often crisp and mineraly, with delicate flavors. By law, if a label says “Chablis,” it must be Chardonnay."
1 x Giant Steps Applejack Chardonnay 2018 ~ Yarra Valley, Australia
95/100 James Suckling
94/100 Mike Bennie, The Wine Front
92/100 Wine Enthusiast
92/100 The Wine Advocate
90/100 Decanter World Wine Awards
95/100 The Wine Front (2017 Vintage)
92/100 Wine Spectator (2017 Vintage)
96/100 Halliday Wine Companion Awards
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards
Halliday Wine Companion Awards, James Halliday " A spotless bouquet and an elegant palate of great length. Stone fruits and melon are threaded through a faint gauze of acidity, oak barely seen. This is an exercise in balance, and the certainty of future greatness."
Decanter World Wine Awards "Restrained, with delicate hints of green apple, grapefruit pith and white peach, while the herbaceous palate has a yellow liquorice finish."
James Suckling "The palate has a smooth, evenly paced and sleek feel. Polished texture and good depth of fresh white peaches and pears....Apples and honeydew melon with pie crust and poached pears in a fresh, attractive mode..."
Mike Bennie, The Wine Front "Electric and lacy, mouth-watering and ultra fresh. Bright and brisk style really nicely done....Flinty, lean, racy style. Good puckering feel and tight, squeaky race across the palate. Citrus, wet stone, frangipani floral things to sniff on. Stone and flint licks to taste, a squeeze of grapefruit, green apple, pickled ginger, sparkling almost in its transparent whip-crack across the palate. "
The Wine Advocate "It's a medium-bodied but plump and generous offering, with melon and pineapple fruit filling out the silky-textured mid-palate, then easing into a long, citrusy finish."
Wine Enthusiast "...The palate is richly textured and laced with minerals. The wood is present but not overwhelming...Coming from vines 200 meters higher and nine years younger than this producer's other single-vineyard Chardonay, Tarraford, this wine is clearly made in the same vein, but shows distinctive differences. Less fruity, this vintage is initially a touch reductive and oaked, but as it warms in the glass, notes of salted nuts and honey, along with delicate citrus, float to the fore. "
Giant Steps is a privately owned, estate based, Yarra Valley grower and winemaker. Giant Steps has forged a reputation for delivering some of Australia’s most consistent, over-performing, varietal wines. These wines have received global acclaim and established a strong reputation in restaurants and fine wine stores around the world. Since 2003 Giant Steps wines have collectively been awarded 19 trophies and over 50 gold medals at major international and domestic wine shows and have been named one of the Top 100 Wineries in the World by Wine & Spirits Magazine, US for each of the last three years.
Owner Phil Sexton came to wine via beer. He started Little Creatures, a favourite of Aussie hopheads, in Perth (Western Australia). Yarra Valley is a region with a cool climate, best known for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Yarra Valley is an hour’s drive east of Melbourne. Applejack Vineyard was planted in 1997 by highly respected viticulturist Ray Guerin Today it is meticulously managed by his son Mark.
Applejack Vineyard is situated in the Upper Yarra Valley, to the south-east of the traditional valley floor. The higher altitudes result in cooler growing conditions - ideal for Pinot Noir. Applejack Vineyard is located on a dramatic, north-east-facing slope with close-planted vines. This vineyard was purchased by Phil Sexton in 2013.
1 x McHenry Hohnen Hazels Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 ~ Margaret River, Western Australia
96/100 Erin Larkin (Halliday's Wine Companion)
93/100 Aaron Brasher (The Real Review)
90/100 Wine Enthusiast
95/100 James Halliday (2019 vintage)
93/100 Stuart Knox (2019 vintage)
94/100 James Halliday (2018 vintage)
94/100 Huon Hooke (2018 vintage)
93/100 The Wine Front (2018 vintage)
93/100 James Suckling (2018 vintage)
94/100 James Halliday (2017 vintage)
93/100 Huon Hooke (2017 vintage)
17/20 Jancis Robinson (2017 vintage)
5 Star Winery - James Halliday
"Halliday Wine Companion - Australian Winery of the Year 2022 & 2023"
Erin Larkin "...This is super-serious. Unbelievable value for money: scintillating citrus acid line, concentrated, mouth-staining fruit and complex layers of crushed nuts, creamy tannins ... all wrapped into a long and reverberating tail of flavour. Hand-picked fruit from 4 southern Margaret River vineyards: Hazel's, Calgardup, Burnside and Chapman, whole-bunch pressed, wild ferment in French oak (25% new). Barrels left unsulphured over winter, a portion undergoing mlf. Matured for 10 months in barrel. Wowsers."
Wine Enthusiast "Bold on the nose and displaying a pronounced yellow color, this is no wallflower Chardonnay. The nose opens with an overt, toasty oak character that competes robustly with the apples, pears and nectarines on the palate. Generous in body, with a touch of glycerol and some evident heat on the palate, this wine is full-throttle in palate feel. Strong notes of pastry and nougat lead on the medium finish. The medium acidity could use a touch more oomph to balance with this wine’s considerable weight."
Aaron Brasher "Complex aromas of grilled nuts, nougat, white stone fruit, white flowers and struck-match. Tight and focused on the palate, grapefruit, melon, nectarine, nutty oak and a briney edge. The acidity is crunchy and there's a phenolic touch that provides grip, structure and mouth-feel"
James Halliday "After a reticent bouquet, this springs into life on the palate with its clear-as-a-bell white peach/grapefruit varietal signature. French oak is little more than a shadow in the background, development potential unlimited." (2019 vintage)
Stuart Knox "Medium straw-yellow colour in the glass, with a nose of roasted cashews, nectarine and hint of struck-match. Just-ripe white nectarine, bacon fat and oyster-brine fill the mouth whilst a lemon zest acidity coils it tightly across the palate. Very impressive drive and intensity, carrying it long and lingering for an age" (2019 vintage)
James Halliday "From three estate vineyards, made in the same way as the three single vineyard wines: whole-bunch pressed, oxidative handling, wild yeast and retention of full solids, matured in tank for 3 months on lees. It has built great depth, but less length." (2018 vintage)
Huon Hooke "Bright, light to mid-yellow colour, with a strong smoky-reductive and toasty barrel bouquet, the palate also benefiting from the added complexity this brings. Rich and savoury at the same time, with a long, harmonious and rewarding aftertaste. An excellent chardonnay in a full-throttle style." (2018 Vintage)
James Suckling " Impressive aromas of lemons and peaches here with light hazelnut notes, too. Very complex. The palate is packed with gently creamy peach and nectarine flavors. Smooth, mouth-filling finish. Drink now. Screw cap." (2018 Vintage)
James Halliday "A new line for McHenry Hohnen from three estate vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel's), the same vinification as for the single vineyard Chardonnays, blended in Oct into tank on full lees. Reflects the southern Margaret River, bright and almost savoury juiciness, zesty phenolic grip to the finish." (2017 vintage)
Huon Hooke " Light, bright yellow hue and an intense, refined, chalky mineral aroma over honey and cool-grown restrained but concentrated fruit. A very fine, intense, compact wine with balance and charm aplenty. The finish is clean, crisp and dry, and leaves the mouth refreshed. Long, long aftertaste." (2017 vintage)
The Winemaker "After desirable conditions during flowering, the summer started cool and wet, slowing down the growing season significantly. Conditions improved in late February, developing into a perfect Indian summer. The result is whites that are packed with energy and poise, and reds that got the benefit of a long, cool ripening periods; tannin ripeness and complex flavour developments. Alcohols are lower than previous years, even with greater physiological ripeness." (2017 vintage)
Founded by one of the pioneers of the Margaret River winemaking region, David Hohnen and his brother in law, Murray McHenry, an accomplished fine wine retailer. Both have been making wine in Margaret River since the early 1970’s. McHenry Hohnen vineyards are 100% biodynamic. Their three unique vineyards (Burnside, Calgardup and Hazel’s) produce wines that are a reflection of the land. McHenry Hohnen focusses on crafting site-expressive wines and are known for producing some of the region's best wines.
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 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.
Chardonnay is one of the world’s most popular grapes, Chardonnay is made in a wide range of styles from lean, to rich, creamy white wines aged in oak. Bolder, richer, full-bodied and buttery Chardonnays are made using oak and are produced in California, Burgundy, and Australia. Unoaked chardonnays such as Chablis and those produced in Chile, New Zealand, and other parts of France are leaner and often crisp and mineraly, with delicate flavors. By law, if a label says “Chablis,” it must be Chardonnay.