Chardonnay Season – Part One
23 March 2025: Barry Weinman
Given the warmer weather, the panel seemed drawn to Chardonnay, with several superb tastings, including a 2023 tasting held at Lamont’s in Cottesloe.
It seems, in Western Australia at least, there has been a never ending run of good to great vintages for chardonnay.
Whilst the winemakers may complain about how difficult cooler vintages like 2019 and 2021 were in the vineyard, the results suggest that they succeeded in making very worthwhile wines, albeit in a cooler, more restrained style.
Fast forward to 2022 and 2023 in particular, and it is all smiles, with excellent growing conditions delivering wines of great quality and consistency.
As the weather cools, autumn is prime chardonnay drinking time for me. I serve it straight from the cellar at 18 degrees, and pop the bottle in and out of the fridge to keep it cool but not cold.
Reviewed
Elantro Vineyard – Balnarring – Chardonnay – 2023. Wow, this wine lives up to the hype and, if anything, is even better than I was expecting from this new project from Sando Mosele. Superb fruit which is refined and elegant, and just a little subdued straight out of the bottle. But the sheer quality of the fruit is what stands this apart, along with the deft use of oak and lees influences, which add depth and texture without imparting overt flavours. The viscosity on the palate is a joy to behold, mesmerising the senses as the fruit gradually evolves for what seems like minutes. On the very close, the fruit picks up a slight pineapple note, adding to the appeal. Sealed with a Diam cork. 13.5% – 96pts.
Sandalford – Prendiville Reserve – Chardonnay – 2023. This is very good indeed. The fruit is ripe, yet restrained and the winemaking has served to emphasise the quality and the textural aspects, without adding specific characters. Peach? Yep, but also a lot more. A delight to drink, the fruit drifts along on a raft of acid and fine oak, with just the right amount of generosity. 13.5% alc, 95+pts.
Sandalford -Prindiville Reserve – Chardonnay – 2024. With Ross Pamment now firmly in control of winemaking at Sandalford, we are starting to get an idea of the styles he is trying to produce. Fine, high-quality fruit has been paired carefully with tight-knit French oak to make for a compelling wine. The fruit is quite restrained, but it is the mouthfeel and texture where the intrinsic quality really expresses itself. Seamless, elegant and refined, a wine to sip and savour. Will be at its best with a few years in the cellar. 13.5% alc – 94-95pts.
Smallwater Estate – Chardonnay – 2022. Ripe, yet restrained fruit has been given a decent amount of work in the winery adding a degree of minerality from the lees work and gentle toast from the oak. Moreish, I like the mouthfeel. 13.7% alc, 91pts.