The Second Coming of Australian Chardonnay

BY ANGUS HUGHSON | JUNE 10, 2025

The wheels of the international wine industry turn slowly, limited by vineyard growth, static consumer sentiment and winemakers who tinker on a vintage-by-vintage basis. But occasionally, there are moments in time when a genuine pivot occurs, such as when a strong vintage or producer brings a wine region or style to light, or out of the cold. Arguably, the 1982 vintage and particularly Robert Parker’s reviews reenergised the market for Bordeaux after the largely lacklustre 1970s, while the 1968 Sassicaia helped to redefine Italy’s place in the wine world and radically change the country’s trajectory. Australia is on the cusp of such a pivot with Chardonnay.

Historically, Australia’s vinous fortunes have been inextricably tied to Shiraz. Like Riesling for Germany and Sauvignon Blanc for New Zealand, the success of a country’s wine industry is, unfortunately, often judged by the story of a single leading grape variety, obscuring what is happening behind the scenes. Shiraz has long made sense as the country’s leading light, thanks to a climate well suited to the variety and a significant stock of old vines and world-class wines.

However, Chardonnay has been humming away in the background, slowly but surely rising in quality and stature. The awarding of Giaconda’s 2021 Chardonnay as #2 in the Vinous Top 100 wines of 2024 was a harbinger of the changing global outlook. Over the last 20 years, a number of factors have driven this steady increase in quality: intuitive winemaking with an increasingly hands-off approach, greater exploration of cooler-climate terroirs, advancing vine age, and a better understanding of various clones. Together, these have sharpened the national proposition and the likelihood that Chardonnay will increasingly define the Australian wine landscape over the next decade and beyond.

This shift is already evident in the country’s vineyards and wineries, with more Chardonnay crushed during the 2024 vintage than any other variety. But Chardonnay’s rise has been far from meteoric. It has been a bloody battle, a slow burn of trial and error, and a long, winding road from the country’s first forays into large-scale Chardonnays to the exciting level of quality and detail seen in today’s finest expressions of the variety. Chardonnay is an incredibly malleable variety with the ability to yield quality wines in an array of both temperate and cooler climates, which conveniently matches conditions across Southern Australia. Chardonnay drinkers seeking tight, lean, acid-driven styles can look to Tasmania, while more flavoursome styles can be found in Beechworth and the Hunter Valley. The dynamic interplay between clone, site, climate and winemaking makes Australian Chardonnay a chameleon with almost endless stylistic variation and potential to produce wines to suit all tastes.

The cool, elevated Ashton Hills vineyards of Adelaide Hills.

A Brief History

Thirty years ago, the first wine I ever purchased by the case was an Australian Chardonnay. For a nascent palate on a student budget, the combination of exotic mango, peach and nectarine aromas jumping out of the glass with the relative complexity of (cheap) sweet, toasty oak and buttery malolactic influences was a revelation. It was the perfect staple for a hot Sydney Summer. At $10 a bottle, you could not go wrong. These short-lived, sunshine-in-the-glass wines led the initial charge for Australian wine on the international market. These were wines of their time, showcasing vibrant sweet fruit flavours that seduced wine consumers and the trade alike. In some ways, these wines also reflected a relatively young wine nation—one made up of consumers just beginning their journey with wine and winemakers eager to make a big splash on the international stage with their new tools.

Chardonnay was actually one of the first grape varieties imported to Australia, but until the 1980s, it remained an outlier, mostly used for sparkling wines before the emergence of the full-throttle style of still wines. The success of these wines encouraged significant plantings, particularly in warmer regions, igniting a goldrush for Chardonnay. Bigger was, without doubt, better. The Hunter Valley got in on the action, as did McLaren Vale, with wines that pushed flavour and texture to extremes. These historic wines were not subtle, but they certainly attracted plenty of fans locally and internationally.

At the time, you could hardly enter a local restaurant without seeing bottles of Chardonnay from the likes of Rosemount Estate, Mountadam, Leeuwin Estate or Petaluma on almost every table. These wines were unashamedly hedonistic with rivers of flavour, a homegrown style rather than something inspired by wines from around the world, although there was some international input—Robert Mondavi played a role in the early years at Leeuwin Estate. These Chardonnays remained popular for some time, but consumers slowly tired of the simple, sunny flavours and overt oak. The adolescent phase of Australian Chardonnay soon ended as local consumers shifted towards fresher, acid-driven styles, paving the way for the rise of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, which eventually overshadowed Chardonnay in the domestic market. The tide had already begun to turn towards more nuanced Chardonnays, but it would take decades of rethinking winemaking and grapegrowing to fully harness Chardonnay’s significant national potential.

One of the core drivers of this stylistic transformation was a love affair—some would call it an obsession—with white Burgundy, driven by some key critics and members of the wine trade. The initial criticism of the early two-dimensional Australian style cut deep and sent many key vignerons on a search for a local approximation to Burgundy. This was not without the odd misstep along the way, including an overcorrection by some winemakers into early-picked, thin wines bereft of flavour. Some winemakers are still overly cautious with regard to ripeness. Today, gone are the heavy-set, lusciously flavoured, overtly oaky Chardonnays of the past, as are their frigid, lean antitheses. Thankfully, their replacement is a sleeker Chardonnay expression. The best examples combine power, genuine ripeness, acidity and depth of fruit. Those unfamiliar with the category may be surprised by the elegance and restraint in these wines, challenging the general perception of Australian wine. As always, at the heart of the greatest wines in this category are well-chosen vineyards with a genuine sense of place.

Naturally, Australian winemakers turned to Burgundy clones to assist in their journey. Clones 76, 95, 96 and 277—first imported in the 1980s—quickly gained popularity and a significant vineyard footing, particularly in Eastern Australia. Today, they remain an important part of the overall picture. Yet the country also had a secret weapon: the historic Gin-Gin and P58 clones, both generally better suited to Australian growing conditions. These have proved particularly effective at handling warmer vintages, where the Burgundian clones appear to be less resilient. The Gin-Gin clone was originally imported from California in 1957 and suffers from millerandage, whereby poor flower fertilisation leads to bunches containing a proportion of very small, immature grapes. This yields wines with a unique combination of sweet fruit flavours and high acidity. Gin-Gin is unique to Australia as the original grape material in California was destroyed after importation. Recent studies have shown that Gin-Gin is related to both the Californian Old Farm and Mendoza clones, suggesting a common ancestor, though each of these has distinct characteristics. Gin-Gin has proven itself to be remarkably well suited to Margaret River and is a crucial component in many of the region’s finest wines.

The P58 clone was a massale selection from Le Montrachet imported by Penfolds in the 1950s. It was not particularly prized for decades, yet it caught the eye of a young Rick Kinzbrunner from Giaconda, who used it as part of the original plantings. Today, P58 has strong support from a number of other leading winemakers. Before planting, Kinzbrunner spent a significant amount of time talking to other winemakers and visiting vineyards. He chose P58 primarily for its low yields and the resulting fruit intensity, key components of Giaconda’s house style. Kinzbrunner has continued to champion P58 for new estate plantings in recent years, and fruit from this clone remains in high demand across Australia.

A cluster of Gin-Gin clone Chardonnay displaying millerandage.

In Search of Montrachet

The search for cooler-climate vineyards was a vital step towards redemption for Australian Chardonnay, as most of the early wine regions were established in areas more suitable for later-ripening varieties. Regions around Australia’s southern coastline presented new options, with the cooling influence of Southern Ocean helping to moderate summer temperatures. The general lack of continental regions also offers some protection against the future impacts of global warming compared to other international wine regions.

Around Melbourne and Southern Victoria, a cluster of wine regions emerged, quickly becoming the epicentre of the modern Chardonnay movement. These remain ground zero for many of Australia’s leading Chardonnays across a broad range of styles. In the higher elevations of Macedon Ranges and Upper Yarra Valley, one finds a plethora of finer, more acid-driven styles. The proximity to Melbourne and its strong sommelier community has driven a more experimental mindset here, giving rise to small-batch wines that push the envelope—in particular with reduction. These regions offer a diverse range of aspects and microclimates for winemakers to choose from.

Further south and closer to the ocean, the lower Yarra and Geelong enjoy warmer conditions that allow for more flavoursome wines, while still retaining cooler-climate charm. To the east, the Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland produce wines that sit between the two extremes, their ancient volcanic soils contributing a subtle influence. There are other noteworthy areas across Victoria as well, but the small region of Beechworth is the key standout. I covered Beechworth extensively in my recent report, “North East Victoria: Full of Surprises.”

In the west, Chardonnay was planted in Margaret River and Great Southern from the mid-1970s, most notably at Leeuwin Estate and Cullen. Margaret River quickly established itself as a paradise for the variety. Here, oceans on three sides and afternoon seabreezes lend a unique freshness and vitality to the resulting wines, combined with a general reliability across vintages. Margaret River’s favourable climate also promotes organic, biodynamic and sustainable viticulture; 48% of the vineyards here are certified sustainable. Despite totalling only 1,000 hectares of Chardonnay planted, Margaret River is without doubt one of the country’s finest regions for Chardonnay, delivering wines with unique energy and vibrancy that also show considerable ageability.

Rising to the east of South Australia’s capital, Adelaide Hills is another leading and commonly underestimated region for Chardonnay. Once farming and orchard country, today the region boasts 1,000 hectares of planted vineyards at elevations between 300 and 700 meters. Despite its convenient location, Adelaide Hills has only really hit its straps over the last 20 years with wines that display generous levels of flavour and acidity. Two powerful figures drive the region forward: local luminary Brian Croser established Petaluma Wines in 1976 and planted a patchwork of vineyards (one of which is now bottled under the Tapanappa label), while Michael Hill-Smith MW started Shaw and Smith in the 1980s with significant aspirations to put Adelaide Hills Chardonnay on the international map.

Tasmania is the relatively new kid on the block that cannot be ignored. Averaging 42 degrees south, this isolated island is unprotected from the Southern Ocean and subject to weather systems from the South Pole. Tasmania is markedly cooler than almost all mainland wine regions and regularly buffeted by strong winds. There are only 500 hectares of Chardonnay planted here, much of which goes to sparkling wine. Yet despite its size, Tasmania punches well above its weight, as demonstrated by standout wines in this report and the success of wines in this tasting from Tolpuddle, Stargazer, Sinapius and the two brands of Stefano and Marco Lubiana. After taking a while to find its footing, Tasmania is, without question, a region to watch in the coming decades.

Patrick Sullivan has quickly risen to become one of Australia’s leading Chardonnay winemakers.

The Coche Effect

A significant component of Australian Chardonnay’s metamorphosis has been a fundamental rethink of winemaking techniques. Historically, winemaking was very hands-on and clinical: fruit was harvested very ripe, and a “more is always better” approach built complexity in the wines through multiple manipulations. Many methods were simply borrowed from Burgundy, such as barrel ferment and maturation, malolactic ferments and lees stirring, although yeast inoculation was common. Lees were not especially prized, and ferments were typically undertaken with a low degree of solids. Malolactic ferments were standard, although the naturally lower-acidity fruit often required acidification for balance. Regular lees-stirring was common, along with a high proportion of small new-oak barrels, accentuating what were already exaggerated flavours and textures.

Recent winemaking has done an about-face, with a move towards a hands-off, less interventionist approach. The aim now is to craft better-balanced wines with significant savoury complexity. Fruit is generally picked before the sweeter tropical notes develop in order to retain natural acidity and vibrant fruit flavours, which also lowers alcohol and reduces the need for any later additions. According to Brian Croser, “Australian winemakers’ long love affair with Riesling has contributed to the fruit intensity, freshness, purity and appealing acid balance of the modern wave of Australian Chardonnay.”

Barrel ferment and a shorter period of maturation are standard for premium wines, often done in older or larger-format oak. Natural yeast is commonly used for ferments. Many winemakers now partially or wholly block malolactic fermentation—except in the coolest vintages—to preserve acidity. Blocking malo can increase ageworthiness, though there is some risk it can strip the wines of complexity, texture and the volume of flavour many Chardonnay drinkers seek. This remains a point of contention among winemakers. For Adam Wadewitz, Chief Winemaker at Tolpuddle and Shaw and Smith, there is no choice: “If you don’t do malo, you’ve got rocks in your head.”

One of the most significant stylistic changes has been in the use of lees and the increasing desire to showcase some level of reduction, a trend that has been gradually taking hold in recent years. Reduction has become a buzzword among Australian winemakers, inspired in part by the reverence for certain Burgundian domaines like Coche-Dury. It is not uncommon for fruit to be pressed straight to barrel with full lees to add texture and savoury complexity, though most producers employ some level of settling to remove the heaviest grape solids, Barrel stirring is also less common than in the past, which enhances the opportunity to develop reductive characteristics.

The Tolpuddle vineyard in Tasmania.

The sheer number of wines in this tasting with at least a discernible level of reduction came as a surprise. Some winemakers prefer just a hint, while others embrace more pronounced reductive notes. This remains a balancing act, as prioritising reduction—combined with early picking and no malo—can result in wines that feel disjointed. Michael Downer from Murdoch Hill explained, “Reduction is one of those wonderful things when it's on point, but when it's gone too far, it can be a detriment to the wine.”

Australian Chardonnay is now well and truly in the premier league. The best wines show genuine sophistication thanks to intuitive, thoughtful winemaking and the investment in locating and developing optimal sites. This is not confined to a single place—each region, from Tasmania and Adelaide Hills to Margaret River and Victoria’s cool-climate pockets, brings its own take on the modern style, driven by clones, climate and terroir. The only question now is how high Australian Chardonnay will go and whether it will claim its place as a genuine international leader. The answer rests in the aspirations of winery owners and winemakers and in their willingness to continue pushing boundaries, rethinking accepted wisdom and crafting wines according to site and vintage rather than winemaking dogma. The crown is there for the taking.

Vintage Patterns

While it is very difficult to generalise vintage conditions across Australia, a few points stand out from the wines tasted for this report. Recent vintages have been irregular. Across much of Eastern Australia, 2023 was another La Niña year. It was the wettest year since 2011, the coolest since 2012 and the lowest national crush since 2000. For Chardonnay, this led to higher acidity and more delicate flavour profiles than in other recent vintages. Conditions in Western Australia were more forgiving, with drier conditions notable in all vintages tasted here. The cooler 2023 vintage was bookended by a warm 2022 and 2024.

I tasted all the wines for this report in Sydney in April 2025.

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