Awards and Accolades

92 Points, Wine of the Week, Huon Hooke, The Real Review
"Excellent value for money: a grown-up chardonnay at an affordable price. Very light colour, and a complex, nutty, honey and malt bouquet which has echoes of the savoury, faintly smoky style of many of today’s top-level chardies. It’s refined, delicate, delicious."

Wine of the Week, Winsor Dobbin
"TarraWarra winemaker Clare Halloran has no less than four cool-climate chardonnays in the current range. This is the entry level estate wine, with a few fewer bells and whistles than its more expensive siblings, but it stands alone as a delightfully elegant Yarra Valley chardy; more artist than artisan, estate-grown and hand-picked, it has clean lines with citrus zest notes, hints of roasted cashews, along with a crisp, clean finish. Tight and fresh, this is very food friendly, too. Think roast pork with crackling, chicken dishes or perhaps pan-fried John Dory. Great value from an excellent vintage."

90 Points - Ned Goodwin, Wine Companion
"A wine that alludes to what is to come farther up the ranks, without amounting to the chutzpah of other introductory cuvees. Perhaps this is the point: an easy glide of baked green apple flavours wrap themselves around a core of creamy cashew. Tensile acidity races, while a lick of pumice guides the wine along from bow to stern, imparting a tactile energy."

From the Winery

The wine is a blend of seven blocks located across the TarraWarra property. Harvested between 11.8 and 12.4 baume, the wine was naturally fermented and had no acid addition.

The wine has grapefruit and lemon zest aromas with underlying notes of cashew nuts. The tight palate reflects the season, with texture derived from 10 months on lees and a lovely drive with persistence of flavour. With oak and tank maturation, the wine shows an elegant complexity with appealing freshness.

Site selection: Fruit for the Estate wine was sourced from 13-30 year-old vines across various blocks. The TarraWarra Estate vineyard has a northerly aspect across high sloping hill-sides, which provides good drainage and air circulation. The grapes are all hand harvested at approximately seven tonnes per hectare.

Vintage notes: 2015 was a beautiful vintage in the Yarra Valley. From veraison to harvest the weather was warm, without extreme heat, and the night time temperatures were cooler than average. This combination aids ripening while retaining acid in the fruit. Careful vineyard management gives the fruit the qualities that are a hallmark of TarraWarra Estate Chardonnay.