Former schoolteacher Ian Watson seems to be following the same path as Lindsay McCall of Paringa Estate (also a former schoolteacher) in extracting greater quality and style than any other winemaker in his region, in this case Ballarat. Since 1984 Watson has slowly and patiently built up a patchwork quilt of small plantings (most from 0.33 ha to 2 ha). In the better years, the single-vineyard wines of Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir are released; Rebellion Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are multi-vineyard blends, but all 100% Ballarat

Former schoolteacher Ian Watson seems to be following the same path as Lindsay McCall of Paringa Estate (also a former schoolteacher) in extracting greater quality and style than any other winemaker in his region, in this case Ballarat. Since 1984 Watson has slowly and patiently built up a patchwork quilt of small plantings (most from 0.33 ha to 2 ha). In the better years, the single-vineyard wines of Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir are released; Rebellion Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are multi-vineyard blends, but all 100% Ballarat.
 
Slightly less intense fruit than Garibaldi, but has similar focus and length; fruit driven from start to finish, with perfect balance. Screwcap. 13.3% Alc $30 Drink to: 2015 Rating: 94 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion 2009

More colour than the other Chardonnays, ultra-complex, with strong winemaking fingerprints giving a warm toasty/nutty/creamy texture. Screwcap. Rating: 94. To: 2013. James Halliday

Forward mid-yellow and smelling of butter, toasted nuts and stone fruits, this is a big, generous chardonnay loaded with character. Ample and rounded, it's unapologetically full-bodied and magnificently massive - but also beautifully poised. Rating 96 Points; Huon Hooke; Gourmet Traveller WINE

If you’re a chardy fan, treat yourself to a bottle of this beauty made for Toolangi by Giaconda’s celebrated winemaker Rick Kinzsbrunner. It’s cleverly oaked, complex and textured with pristine citrus and stone fruit on the nose and palate, integrated nutty characters, balanced acidity and a creamy mouthfeel. Drink it with lobster. Kerry Skinner; Grape Expectations

Made by a great chardonnay winemaker, Rick Kinzbrunner from Giaconda, from estate fruit in Dixon’s Creek and other premium Yarra Valley fruit that’s fermented and aged in oak for18 months, Toolangi Reserve ('06, $75) is almost as good as it gets. Expensive? Yes. Value? Absolutely. It has the colour of straw with just a hint of green. The nose is white nectarine with a touch of granny smith tartness, the palate mouth-filling with creamy stonefruit, hazelnut, citrus and minerality. The texture is subtle but complex, the structure sublime. The acidity is balanced by the strength of the fruit, and it finishes soft. Melbourne Weekly Magazine

Influenced by 2008’s warm vintage, this wine has a rich, textural palate exhibiting grapefruit and stone fruits, with a hint of dried pear, which is typical of fruit grown in the Stevens Valley in southern Margaret River. Early hand-harvesting, using wild yeast fermentation and grape solids, combined with regular battonage, all contributed complexity and balance to the wine. Sensitive winemaking techniques and the use of French oak have produced a wine with great flavour and texture, which is nonetheless refined and elegant.

Trophy - Sydney International Wine Competition
Gold Medal - Royal Sydney Wine Show
Commended - Decanter World Wine Awards
Finalist - The Australian Wine Annual 2011 - Jeremy Oliver's Wine of the Year

Elegant, perfectly balanced and deeply flavoured, with a complex, smoky bouquet whose fresh aromas of grapefruit, stonefruit and melon are lifted by ginger, clove and cinnamon-like spice and backed by creamy suggestion of nougat and toasty, perfectly seasoned oak. It's sumptuous and smooth with a lingering core of pear, apple, stonefruit and grapefruit, finishing long, soft and savoury, with nutty, creamy notes and gentle acids. 97 Points; Jeremy Oliver; Australian Wine Annual 2011

I loved the 2006 and 2007 efforts so it is not easy to say this is the pick of the three. It has the most amazing complex nose of white fleshy fruit, some nougat and roasted nut characters and traditional, tropical notes from the West. In the mouth it shows remarkable restraint, it is not a monster by any stretch but does have generous peach and melon tones balanced beautifully by the toasty oak and a considerable length. It oscillates between being refined, minerally, steely almost and showing a hint of fat which will no doubt develop over the next decade. This is an exceptional wine and very hard to pass up already. The big statements will come but this is the best Chardonnay that can be had for this money. Drink: Now – 2020+; Quality: Exceptional BW; WineStar© April 2011

Now right up there with the very best from Margaret River as far as Chardonnay goes. This is stunning, bringing deep intensity and power to a refined elegant palate that floats effortlessly to a long persistent finish. Mealy grapefruit flavours with a minerally finish. Palate length is a feature of this super wine. 96 Points; Ray Jordan; 2011 WA Wine Guide

After the green-tinged appearance in the glass, the first striking thing about this wine is the purity and clarity that it exhibits on the nose. Smells of fine grapefruit and lemon citrus, some nectarine and white peach, and gently floral fragrance are all pristine and elegant. The palate's brightly stated, with crisp, crunchy acidity; the oak weighs in a little more here, showing spice and cedary nutty flavour. Finishes crisp and chalky. 95 Points; Nick Stock; Good Wine Guide 2011

Le grand garçon est dans la cuisine. This was my one of my favourite wines from a field of 33 Chardonnays tasted single blind. Picked it as Voyager Estate (or thought I did at the time). Notes are brief, but the quality is assured. A slight whiff of tinned corn and pineapple but primarily tasting of nectarine, grapefruit and spice. Good oak treatment, juicy and flavoursome with a slight buttered nuts character, yet also tight, racy and citrine as per the modern Voyager style – the best of both worlds (although leaning towards the former in this example). Smooth and long. Another winner but may not be as long lived as some vintages – it’s ready now. Rated : 94 Points; Tasted : Mar11; Alcohol : 13.3%; Price : $42; Closure : Screwcap; Drink : 2011 - 2014+; By Gary Walsh; The Wine Front

Forward, tropical nose. Sweet, smooth, juicy palate. Balanced acidity and a toasty finish. Decanter Magazine; UK

Made by the guys at Hoddles Creek; the Wickhams Road wines are made with the same philosophy used with Hoddles Creek. They are single vineyard wines with the care and attention that has made Hoddles Creek such a success. The difference with Wickhams Road is that it has been sourced from trusted growers around Victoria. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

The high altitude and cool climate of adelaide hills makes it an ideal location for chardonnay, where it develops elegant fruit flavours while retaining cleansing natural acidity.

Fruit from each vineyard is fermented in small batches with a combination of wild and cultured yeasts. The majority of the wine is barrel fermented in French oak. A portion of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation and lees stirring to add richness, complexity and mouthfeel.

The 2010 Wolf Blass Gold Label Adelaide Hills Chardonnay is a pale straw with a hint of green on the rim. The nose shows aromas of grapefruit and white peach with subtle nutty oak. These aromas develop into a full, rich, yet elegant palate with varietal Chardonnay flavours, a complex creamy texture and long finish. This wine will develop further complexities over the next three to five years.

FDW is ‘Yalumba speak’ for Fine Dry White and the 7c for a special batch of Chardonnay. For a number of years Yalumba has been working with a small gathering of quality-focussed, dedicated grape-growers on three special sites in the cool, elevated and renowned Adelaide Hills wine region. Drawing on the qualities this region has with this classic variety, Yalumba has crafted a deluxe Australian Chardonnay, exclusively utilising the traditional Bernard clones 76 and 95. FDW[7c] is the perfect wine to rekindle anyone’s love of Chardonnay.

In line with Yalumba’s no-compromise attitude towards this wine, grapes were hand-picked and then chilled in the cold rooms before tipping to tank press for whole bunch pressing. The juice was sequentially filled to new and 1 year old French oak barriques, with fermentation carried out by indigenous yeasts which are naturally present on the grape berries. On completion of fermentation, barrels were regularly topped and stirred over a nine month period in order to build texture and complexity. Individual barrels were then selected for the final blend and remained in oak for a further six months.

This Chardonnay wine is pale gold in colour with tints of green. The nose displays toasted hazelnut aromas overlaid with lifted nectarine, lemon zest and hints of white nougat. The palate is fine and seamless. Flavours of white peach and lemon sherbet meld with the creamy textured mid palate. An underlying mineral acidity balances these flavours for a tightly structured finish.

#1 in the 2009 Adelaide Review Top 100 Wines: http://www.adelaidereview.com.au/flip_book/hot_100.html