Chardonnay

Margaret River

Chardonnay

There are eight different clones available to the winemakers at Idée Fixe, but in this case just one has been chosen to best capture and express the southern Margaret River region. This is a blanc de blancs style, with a savoury, spicy combination on the nose and a palate already displaying tremendous richness and complexity. There’s a touch of gunflint...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a tremendously exciting sparkling wine from Margaret River that has now benefited from age, yet still retains its vibrancy and energy. The extra bottle age has added another layer of complexity and intrigue, initially on the nose and then into the palate. Spicy stone fruit and lightly yeasty notes provide a compelling aromatic opening, while the palate delivers...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a combination of chardonnay and pinot noir, producing that lovely copper-toned, onion-blush colour of this rosé style. Deeply intense and meaty, with light strawberry notes on the nose and a little lifted, controlled stone fruit. The palate has a rich, creamy, meaty character with tremendous energy and verve. This is a complex rosé style.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a blanc de blancs style made from 100 per cent chardonnay from Margaret River. There’s some real power in this wine, and to me it’s probably the best example of it yet. Creamy, lightly stone-fruited characters on the nose, with a little lemon curd and brioche. The palate brings it all home with intensity and drive, supported by...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Another mighty good chardonnay, which comes from specific blocks on the Clairault vineyard. An intense aroma of grapefruit and pear, with a little oatmeal complexity. Palate is quite finely crafted but with deep, powerful expression of the variety, revealing a mix of grapefruit and nectarine. A subtle smoky, gun flint, struck match character provides the final touch.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This comes off a now very mature chardonnay vineyard in Margaret River. It's a powerful statement of chardonnay, with a wave of fresh cut pear and lime, a little grapefruit, and a subtle minerality adding to the complexity of the nose. Palate embraces the variety, with a little stone fruit, brioche, and lemon curd combination providing richness while being held...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A restrained and yet flavoursome chardonnay. Displaying some engaging aromas of oatmeal and stone fruit on the nose, with a little brioche like character. The palate shows a complex weave of brioche and lemon meringue, with an edgy grapefruit zing on the finish. Strikes a nice balance of fruit and oak, with a palate that is distinctly linear.

Great Southern

Chardonnay

Has quite a deep colour. But it is quite bright and lustrous. Initial aromas of stone fruit, meal, and nougat emerge. The palate is where it really starts to deliver. It's rich and textured, but at the same time, refined and quite linear. Has a nice lemon meringue, grapefruit pithiness providing deep complexity. Finely focused finish completes what is an...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This Margaret River chardonnay uses Dijon clones and, after wild fermentation and lees stirring, it spent 10 months in oak. This season worked mighty well for chardonnay. The warmth has provided deep, powerful intensity, but the Dijon clone has just refined and tightened it with a delightful chalky, minerally acidity.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The extra time in bottle is evident immediately with the bright golden hues in the glass. The nose is starting to move into that lovely toasty marmalady character, but not excessively, while retaining its citrusy lemon characters and subtle gun smokiness. Palate is textural and rich, but with a fine savouriness adding balance and precision. If you're wanting a wine...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The Gingin clone has been used effectively in this wine, bringing the power and intensity of the clone to the forefront. But at the same time, it's beautifully designed with control and finesse, creating a linear expression. Citrusy, lemon curd, slightly oatmealy underlay on the nose, and then a palate which gathers momentum and drive through to a long finish....

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is the pick of the litter, if you like, with the contributing parcels carefully chosen and handpicked. It was whole bunch pressed and matured in barriques for 10 months. The striking thing about this wine is its impeccable balance. It draws together the power and intensity of the fruit, but then expresses it with a degree of subtlety and...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Bright, juicy, youthful chardonnay. Displaying true varietal essence on the nose at the outset. Mix of citrus and lightly roasted cashew, and a hint of lemon rind and grapefruit. Palate has a distinct minerally purity about it, with light, bright white peach and nectarine held close with a keen acidity and cut lime edginess. Quite beautiful current drinking chardonnay with...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The style of this wine is now firmly established. Brought back from the slightly finer, leaner edginess it had become into a wine of more opulence and palate friendly richness, providing a point of distinction with its famous sibling, the Art Series. Aromas of lemon, cashew, and even sea spray. And then a palate that offers deep, mouth filling flavours,...

Frankland River

Chardonnay

A most enjoyable and approachable, slightly older-school chardonnay, showing loads of deep fruit intensity and plenty of smoky, toasty oak. So, if you like your chardonnay to make a statement, this is right on the money. Lots of creamy stone fruit with a lemony citrus edge, and some lightly smoky characters. It has a dry, savoury, slightly struck match finish,...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A beautiful season to capture the power and richness of the Gingin clone from this excellent vineyard. Lovely stone fruit aromas of peaches and cream, with a little nectarine and lightly cut lime. The palate, though, is where this wine really kicks in. It's powerful and long, with great intensity. A stone fruit, cereal-like combination, a citrus lift, a touch...

Perth Hills

Chardonnay

A most beautiful, floral, expressive chardonnay out of the Perth Hills. It was fermented in a mix of new French oak, a ceramic egg and stainless steel, with some lees stirring after fermentation. So, it’s created a wine of complexity, vibrancy and richness while retaining its fine linear poise. There’s a lovely lemony tang with a touch of stone fruit...

Perth Hills

Chardonnay

As the name indicates, this is 100% chardonnay grown in the Perth Hills. And it is quite a brilliant example of what this region can do with sparkling wine. It’s certainly the best I’ve seen from Myattsfield. Lovely aromas of lemon and brioche. Then the palate displays some nice lightly roasted cashew, lemon meringue and subtle bready-like characters, which have...

Swan Valley

Chardonnay

This is testament to the quality of fruit that comes from the Swan Valley, especially in a terrific season like ’23. Appealing, medium-weight but flavoursome sparkling chardonnay showing some nice lemony brioche characters on the nose. Then a palate which reveals slightly more stone fruit, nectarine-like characters, and a little splash of citrus. All sustained with a fine, precise acidity....

Mount Barker

Chardonnay

Opens with powerful aromas of stone fruit and struck match. It comes from a mix of Wyjup vineyard plantings dating from 1979 and 2004. The fruit was hand-picked early, whole-bunch pressed to barrel with solids, and initially wild fermented. It was barrel fermented with high solids and matured for 10 months in 60% new oak with periodic lees stirring. A...

Mount Barker

Chardonnay

Here is a wine that combines richness with tension, weight and power. It was picked over several separate harvests before being whole-bunch pressed to barrel, giving it structural definition. About 35% of the oak was new. The palate has beautiful intensity and completeness, with seamless integration of oak and fruit supported by fine minerality. This is a terrific wine offering...

Mount Barker

Chardonnay

This is from the Rocky Horror vineyard, planted in 1999. It is a more sophisticated chardonnay than you might expect at this price point. It receives a little oak influence, but the emphasis is firmly on the fruit. It has a steely mineral structure with a palate that is still tight and linear. Having said that, it has excellent fruit...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Another excellent wine under this label. It comes from Wilyabrup, using the Gingin clone. After natural fermentation, it was matured in French barriques. The nose reveals attractive stone fruit, nougat and citrus aromas. The palate captures the delicacy of the season, delivering refinement, balance and precise control. Drinking beautifully now, with the potential to develop further over the medium term.

Mount Barker

Chardonnay

The chardonnays from 3 Drops are consistently approachable, yet beneath the immediate appeal lies impressive complexity. Grapefruit and melon aromas merge with subtle smoky oak on the nose. The medium-bodied palate delivers excellent flavour intensity, with creamy oak and vibrant fruit combining seamlessly in a stylish and engaging wine.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a most elegant and refined medium-bodied chardonnay. The aromas show a slightly waxy lambswool-like character with a hint of lightly roasted cashew and cut lime. And then there's that smoky gunflint-like character which adds another dimension. Palate is rich and textured but at the same time finely balanced and controlled. It's a most impressive chardonnay from a vintage...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

The milder season in 2025 has contributed to this quite elegantly and refined chardonnay. On the nose, there's a slightly oyster shell minerality with some subtle toasty oak influence. The palate introduces a richer textural feel with some creamy lemon curd, creme brulee nuances. And that subtle struck match complexity. It was fermented using a combination of inoculated and wild...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This comes from two blocks off the Driftwood Vineyard. It typifies the vintage in many ways, with its fine elegance and precision. The whole bunch pressing adds a bit more weight and structure, with natural fermentation adding further complexity. There's a light lemon curd, savory combination on the palate, with a little stone fruit. But it's held quite tight and...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This has become one of the benchmark chardonnays in Margaret River. And this early warm vintage has produced another exceptional wine. It goes through complete wild yeast fermentation, followed by barrel fermentation in a third new French puncheons, with maturation over 10 months. There was no malolactic fermentation or lees stirring, so it retains a lively acid energy. The palate...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

There's a marvellous precision about many of the wines from the '25 vintage, and this one captures that. It's from handpicked estate-grown fruit, which went through barrel fermentation in new French oak with regular monthly lees stirring over eight months. That new oak is quite surprising because it certainly doesn't show to excess. It's balanced, seamlessly woven, with a fine...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This provides a distinct point of difference from the Wildberry Springs and Southern Seas chardonnays. It’s a wine of incredible power and concentration, yet there is finesse and subtlety. In this case, only barriques were used and the wine underwent 100% malolactic fermentation. The aim was to hardly touch the wine as it went through the process, and it captures...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This 30-year-old vineyard, smack bang in the middle of Willyabrup, has always produced some of my favourite Margaret River chardonnays. After hand-picking, whole bunch pressing, and capturing the free-run juice, it was fermented in a mix of quartz amphora of different shapes and sizes and barriques. It all adds up to a wine with tremendous energy, a degree of tension,...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Peterkin has gone to Karridale, well to the south of Margaret River, to source fruit essential for creating a wine of brightness, tension, and clean natural acidity. After hand picking and whole bunch pressing, the free-run juice was fermented in a mix of new barriques and amphora. The result is a wine that displays delicacy, yet with deeply intense flavours...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A wine that's perfectly suited for current drinking. Oodles of engaging floral citrus aromas with a slightly nutty, melon character. A palate that is flavoursome with a balance of bright fruit and oak, which is not excessive. Thoroughly enjoyable wine for drinking over the short term.

Margaret River

Chardonnay

At the time of release a couple of years ago, I thought this was an exceptional wine. Time has not changed my opinion. It captures the intensity yet delicacy that marked the 2023 vintage in Margaret River, producing a wine of remarkable finesse and poise. There is just the faintest hint that it is moving into a subtle new zone,...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a remarkably classy chardonnay that captures the elegance and brightness of the vintage. It was barrel fermented, with about 15% new French oak, using wild yeasts before spending nine months on lees without undergoing malolactic fermentation. The result is a pure, bright and precise wine showing minerally aromas of cut lime and grapefruit. The palate is spicy and...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

Another cracking chardonnay with delightful purity, minerality and bright floral notes on the nose. It was barrel fermented with wild yeasts before spending nine months in oak, during which the barrels were stirred regularly. The result is a wine of impressive complexity, evident in the subtle cereal notes on the palate, complemented by oyster shell minerality and light stone fruit...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

A most impressive young chardonnay that delivers exceptional finesse and refinement. There's all the power and intensity expected of Margaret River chardonnay, yet it's expressed with admirable restraint and poise. Lemon curd and stone fruit nuances emerge on the nose before a palate that is textural and rich while remaining tightly focused. It will certainly reward extended cellaring, although it's...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is one of the finest chardonnays yet released from Wills Domain. The excellent 2025 vintage has clearly been fully realised. Aromas of light cashew, stone fruit and lemon curd introduce a palate that is exquisitely integrated, powerful and impressively linear. A fine thread of mineral tension drives the wine through its long, focused finish. Beautifully composed now, but it...

Margaret River

Chardonnay

This is a generous, full, powerful chardonnay from this warm year. It was handpicked, whole bunch pressed, then wild fermented in oak before a further 10 months maturation. The nose shows those distinctive lemon meringue, stone fruit, and citrus notes, while the palate delivers more chalky lemon curd flavours. Striking. A perfect balance of oak and fruit.

Mount Barker

Chardonnay

A most appealing and enjoyable earlier-drinking style of chardonnay. It is generously flavoured and chock-full of peachy stone fruit, with a lifted citrusy lemon zip. The oak is lightly applied, introducing a slightly nutty character. It has a lovely vibrant mouthfeel and absolutely nails this style of wine for drinking in the shorter term.