Vinous (97)

The Chardonnay Mate's Vineyard, appears to have gone on a yoga retreat in 2020: not only is its usual powerful self, but it's remarkably zen too, exuding a sense of calmness. It is full-bodied, round and offers fruit ripeness, but the propensity of the Mendoza clone to hen-and-chicks means that it retains a sense of nerve, with powerful citrusy acidity providing the needle that pulls a tight thread through this wine's core. The 2020 is still far too young, and it is aromatically shy, but even in its full mature glory, it won't exhibit aromatic fireworks – nor should it. This is Chardonnay. Okay, you might detect lemon and limes, white flowers and just-ripe white nectarine, with 30% new oak imbuing an additional layer of savoriness, but when it comes down to it, this wine's trump card is in its shape, texture and persistence.

The Real Review (94)

Tangy, refreshing wine with white peach, apple, lime/citrus, ginger/yeast lees and subtle spicy oak flavours with a thread of oyster shell/saline characters. Stylish wine from a favourable vintage.

The Real Review (94)

Bright, fresh, elegant wine with oyster shell, grapefruit/citrus, green apple and spicy oak flavours with a vibrant backbone of mouth-watering acidity and peppery phenolics. High energy wine that is drinking well upon release.

Halliday Wine Companion (99)

This achieves another step up the quality ladder for Leeuwin Estate, seemingly impossible. There's been no change in the vinification, nor in the vineyard. The change is an increase in the intensity of the flavours, and hence their length and aftertaste. It's an extraordinary wine, among the greatest of Burgundy (and elsewhere in the world). Whatever you expect from its future development will be delivered.

The Western Australian (99)

Let's put it this way. This is the closest I have come to awarding a wine 100 points...Stellar wine from a stellar vintage. The remarkable this is that this is a wine 100 percent barrel fermented in new French oak barriques with regular lees stirring for 11 months - and it certainly doesn't taste excessive, or even slightly oak. It has such high-fidelity purity with complex seductive aromatics of vanilla bean and light oatmeal with a cutting minerality and spicy lift. But the palate, oh the palate. This is where things start to explode. Power, poise and persistence with a dry savouriness balancing the intense ripe fruit. It is such a long finish with an ever so slightly, charry finish completing a remarkable wine

Wine Pilot (99)

In many ways the most Burgundian of any of the Leeuwin releases, this will rank up there with the best to date. There’s a waxy light mealy aroma which picks up nuances of limestone and spice with a trace of grapefruit. But it is the palate that really distinguishes it. There is an austerity with the minerally chalky feel that cuts through the fruit extending to a finish of extraordinary length. Precision and focus harness a wine of great power and poise before dry savoury edges lift the finish.

Ray Jordan (99)

It would not surprise me if this was considered the greatest Leeuwin chardonnay yet. You would get no argument from me... there is elegance and power here. Subtle layered wine. It was a year of great concentration and power. Has pear and lime character that is part of the DNA. The fruit is generous, especially about the mid palate. Has a subtle and not overstated flinty character with a lift of spice. The oak is brilliantly managed and complementary. It's very tight and precise and the whole-bunch technique gives it that stalky, phenolics character. There's a savoury almond meal character on the finish. Incredible length and power here. The minerally character on the finish is quite pronounced. In the top three, certainly, of any Leeuwin chardonnay.

Wine Advocate (93)

Has been through a few subtle iterations in recent years and this one reverts to a previous style which is more generous and immediately flavoursome. Has a creamy texture with a light lemon curd and peachy stone fruit all held with deliberate restraint to give it that extra polish and classy dimension.

Wine Advocate (97)

The 2019 Burnside Vineyard Chardonnay is flinty, spicy and lean, with curry leaf, a hint of Champion Ruby (rolling tobacco in Australia—think Golden Virginia) and a bit of saltbush (local flora). It is very smart. The cooler year is moderated by the close proximity to the beach here—it is briny and so good. I could drink a lot of this. It has a beautiful clean finish. Excellent.

Halliday Wine Companion (96)

From a schistous single vineyard close to the coast, this was made sans additions with an ambient ferment, evident lees handling and maturation in French oak of the utmost quality, to boot. More generous aromatically than wines made of fruit from the souther zones, the wine nevertheless boasts a nervous mineral tension underlying its swag of stone fruit flavours. The mid-palate boasts a hint of curd, but none of the excessive sulphidic funk of many contemporary expressions.

Halliday Wine Companion (95)

Grown on limestone and sand-loam soils close to the ocean. The coolest of the single vineyard chardonnay sites. Aromas of cashew and oatmeal mingle with white-fleshed stone fruit and a suggestion of salty sea breezes. Tight and precise on the palate, green apple and citrus curd flavours run into a long, textural, minerally finish. Drink by 2027

Decanter (96)

Delicate, pure and enticing bouquet of citrus blossoms, apple, minerals, autolysis notes and gentle wood spice suggestions. Equally layered and long on the palate, where the flavours mirror the nose and develop more complexity as the wine relaxes in the glass. Pure fruited with indulgent textures and flavours.

Heralding from the esteemed vineyards of Marlborough, New Zealand, the Nautilus The Paper Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is considered an exemplar of innovative, artisanal wine production. This distinguished wine is the creation of Nautilus Estate, a single-estate winery renowned for its commitment to crafting expressive, textural wines.

The unprecedented blend that forms Nautilus The Paper Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is achieved through meticulous winemaking techniques, including gentle pressings and fermentation in paper tanks, an eco-friendly alternative to traditional methods. The grape variety is 100% Sauvignon Blanc, which reflects the winery's unswerving faith in the potential of this varietal.

Upon savouring, the Nautilus The Paper Sauvignon Blanc 2020 presents a vibrant, concentrated palate of lime and passionfruit notes, underlined by a mineral intensity that is the hallmark of Marlborough's terroir. This is a wine that unites traditional craftsmanship with environmental stewardship, resulting in an unparalleled tasting experience for the discerning connoisseur.

James Suckling (94)

Lots of flint and stone aromas with lemons and green apples. Medium-bodied with a tight and linear palate and a long, flavorful finish. Very intense. Drink now. Screw cap.

Wine Advocate (96)

In vintages with ample botrytis, an Encore Riesling is produced. I'd put the 2016 Encore Riesling up against many German beerenauslesen. It's wonderfully sweet and rich (210 grams per liter residual sugar), with pristine apricot and marmalade notes balanced by bright acids. If you want to quibble, it might be too clean and precise, but the balance is superb and the finish lasts into next week. Wow!

James Suckling (98)

Fantastic aromas of ripe apple, smoke, flint and stone. Sandalwood as well. Full-bodied and very reductive with dry ice to the ripe and dried apple character. Dense and very layered, yet fresh and vivid. So long and intense. Great finish. Drink now. Screw cap.

James Suckling (93)

Has a very well-made feel with vibrant chardonnay fruit – lemon, peach and nectarine – as well as nicely placed barrel-fermentation complexity. Quite zesty and linear palate with flavors that run from citrus to peach and melon, and there’s good purity throughout. Sourced from Tasmania, Adelaide Hills and Henty. Drink now. Screw cap.

James Suckling (96)

This delves into a very rich and attractive place with such intense lemon and ripe-peach character on offer. The palate has a taut, composed and very linear feel with super intense and seamless texture. Acidity wraps the finish tight. Pithy resolve here. Drink or hold.

Vinous (96)

From the Coal and Derwent Valleys (Tas) and the Adelaide Hills; Handpicked and pressed to French barriques (62% new, 38% 1yo) for 8 months. The wine is so precise and tightly wound it is hard to imagine it went through 100% mlf, but at the same time, the decision to limit the amount of new oak falls neatly into place. It is developing at such a leisurely pace it is hard to visualise an end point. Gun flint, wet stone, green apple and grapefruit are among the contributors to the seamless flavour stream.

James Suckling (98)

A much-anticipated vintage for Yattarna and it does not disappoint, showing very impressive depth and sheer fruit power. It has devoured the oak, there's a deep citrusy core to the palate that really hinges on yellow grapefruit. It teases with subtle bitterness in a way that a great chef fine tunes a great dish, sapid, dense and very very assertive. Drink now.

Wine Advocate (96)

Gently toasted almond and subtle pencil shavings give some indication of the 35% new French oak that was used to age the 2016 Chardonnay Yattarna. Ripe peach, pear and melon fruit fills out the medium to full-bodied palate, then really grows in intensity and focus on the long finish. This is the most complete Yattarna I've ever tasted, blending richness and acidity in a seamless fashion. It's a blend of fruit from Tasmania (51%), Henty (23%), Adelaide Hills (14%) and Tumbarumba (12%).

Halliday Wine Companion (98)

57/32/11% Tasmania/Tumbarumba/Adelaide Hills fruit. Matured 8 months in 55% new French oak barriques. The tension, endurance and sheer molecular detail of Yattarna propels it to the pinnacle of Australia’s pointy chardonnay pyramid, and 2019 follows confidently in the hallowed footsteps of the sublime 2018. This is a vintage that demands a great deal of time to unfurl. Tight, compact, focused and immensely determined, it leads out in its virile youth with the finest struck flint and gunpowder. A pinpoint singularity of white-fruit precision focuses a laser line of pure white acidity that projects from its core through a finish of astounding line, length and promise. Powder-fine, crystalline minerality surges long and strong. Another epic Yattarna. Vintage on vintage, has Yattarna now ascended to become Penfolds' greatest wine of all?

Emanating regality from Adelaide Hills, Australia, Petaluma Chardonnay 2015 strikingly exemplifies artful winemaking. This esteemed Chardonnay is crafted by Petaluma's master winemakers, a producer celebrated for its commitment to premium quality, sustainability, and viticulture rooted in the region's unique character. The grapes are scrupulously handpicked from distinguished vineyards, ensuring only optimal fruit is selected for this sophisticated varietal.

Extended lees maturation, followed by nine months in French oak-barrels, establishes Petaluma Chardonnay 2015's radiant depth and complexity. This process imparts notes of white peach, fresh pear, and smoky oak, culminating in a luminous finish. Its fine, textured palate echoes sublime elegance with its perfectly balanced acidity.

Renowned wine critics affirm its pedigree, lauding the invigorating freshness and intensity intertwined in the Petaluma Chardonnay 2015. Drinking magnificently now, this remarkable Chardonnay will continue to evolve majestically over the next decade. It's a testimony to Petaluma's definitive craft of exemplary wines.

The esteemed Petaluma Tiers Chardonnay 2013 embodies the finest manifestation of Australian terroir. Hailing from the hilly viticultural landscape of the Adelaide Hills, this singular wine is renowned for its precision and complexity. The winemakers at Petaluma drew upon their deep knowledge of the Piccadilly Valley's cool, crisp growing conditions to craft this Chardonnay. The grapes were hand-picked and nurtured using traditional methods, including wild yeast fermentation and regular hand stirring of lees to enhance complexity and texture.

The Petaluma Tiers Chardonnay 2013 broadcasts a vibrant array of green apple and white peach flavours, encapsulated by an irresistible flinty minerality. Its exquisite acidity and generous oak maturation result in a delicately layered, structural wine which lingers on the palate. Truly, it is a testament to Petaluma's commitment to expressing the idiosyncratic character of their cool climate vineyards through years of refined skill and artistry.

James Suckling (98)

This has really transformed into a complex, bottle-matured riesling with lemon-rind, lemon-butter and toasty aromas. The palate is very smoothly arranged and the wine has taken on a glossy textural quality over the five years in bottle. The length and intensity here is so impressive. This is breathtakingly pure, yet complex and drinkable. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Halliday Wine Companion (97)

2002 vines. Wigan is king of Eden Valley riesling and yet again one of the top releases of the year. Still a magnificent straw-green at just 5yo, it's at that magic moment where primary and secondary characters unite in equal measure. All the fresh lime and Granny Smith apple of youth, backed by rising buttery, spicy, roast almond maturity. Brilliant acid line charges an astonishing finish that lasts for 30 seconds. Yes, I timed it! For all it represents, this might just be the bargain of the year.

James Suckling (97)

So vibrant for it’s age, this has great concentration of candied-lime and grapefruit-zest character. Terrific structure and energy on the driving palate, but all of this is wrapped in rich citrus fruit to create stunningly complete harmony. Very long and compact finish that suggests this has at least a further decade of aging potential. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

James Suckling (96)

A subtle yet concentrated nose, defined by lemon curd, white pepper, nutmeg, oyster shell and Granny Smith apples. Medium-to full-bodied and so driven by the acidity that lines every corner of this beauty. It’s also what gives structure to this wine, drawing all the pithy lemon flavors in and triangulating the attack. The finish is long and remarkable. Drink or hold. Screw cap.