Big chardonnay is back in fashion

You can’t fall out of love with big chardonnay.

High-quality chardonnay carefully matured in expensive French oak creates a flavour fusion that stands alone.

If you’ve been captured by that taste of fresh peaches, nectarines and tangy citrus combining with toasty vanilla, buttery brioche and roasted nuts, you’ll understand what we’re saying. There’s a luxury, a comfort, that makes the heart sing.

“So many of my friends love big chardonnays – and I’ve always loved them too,’’ says Mountadam Vineyards winemaker Caitlin Brown.

Mountadam’s most decadent chardonnay, the Marble Hill, leads an all-star chardonnay cast at The Australian Wine Club this week, spanning four outstanding cool-climate regions, two 95-pointers and an all-round golden glow of excellence. Our premium chardonnay deal of the week offers outstanding value (see below).

Mountadam’s Marble Hill block in the Barossa’s Eden Valley was born from one man’s chardonnay obsession, the innovative David Wynn.

As many wine buffs would know, Wynn did as much as anyone to revive the fortunes of Coonawarra by establishing Wynns Coonawarra Estate in the 1950s and turning it into a powerhouse for premium reds.

While selling out of Wynns Coonawarra, he embarked on a journey across Australia’s wine regions in search of the perfect cool-climate, high-altitude site to grow chardonnay in the style of Burgundy.

Driving a Citroën fitted with an altimeter to precisely determine the height of potential sites, Wynn discovered a ridge sitting at 550m above sea level in the High Eden subregion of Eden Valley. It was here that he chose to plant chardonnay in 1972, naming the estate Mountadam after his son.

Those Marble Hill vines, now among the oldest cool-climate chardonnay vines in Australia, have their own story to tell.

It begins in the 1860s when South Australian landowner and parliamentarian Sir Samuel Davenport was given a cutting of “chardonuet” by a French horticulturist.

The cutting ended up being grown in the South Australian governor’s summer residence, a property known as Marble Hill in the Adelaide Hills.

Those vines eventually came to the attention of Wynn, who took a cutting and propagated further vines at a nursery in Adelaide before planting them at his Mountadam estate and calling the block Marble Hill.

Brown and her family, who acquired the Mountadam winery in 2000, believe this Burgundian chardonnay clone no longer exists anywhere else in the world as the SA governor’s Marble Hill property was destroyed by fire and the Burgundy vineyards were wiped out by phylloxera in the 1800s.

“It’s really important for me as a family member and winemaker to carry on this chardonnay tradition at Mountadam,’’ says Brown, who crafts four different chardonnays each vintage. “The Marble Hill really is unique – and it’s also great fun to make chardonnay that you love.”

Brown spent her teenage years living at Mountadam after her parents, Limestone Coast graziers and grape growers David and Jenni Brown, purchased the winery. As her parents set about gradually purchasing adjoining properties to piece back together Wynn’s original holdings of about 1000ha, Brown studied winemaking and set off on her own adventure, gaining experience at Leeuwin Estate in Margaret River, Sidewood Estate in the Adelaide Hills and at Killian Hunn Baden in Germany, before becoming assistant winemaker at Hardys Tintara in McLaren Vale.

“I have always been slightly biased towards chardonnay and tried to work at places that had a focus on chardonnay,” says Brown, who has now led five vintages at Mountadam. “When it comes to big chardonnays, my husband loves them too.”

Mountadam Marble Hill Eden Valley Chardonnay 2019

A feast for the senses: ripe peach, florals and dried fig aromas lift from the glass first, before nutty notes of almond, creamy nougat, cinnamon and caramel follow. A full palate of stone fruits, citrus, honeycomb and cream seamlessly flows. A good line of natural acidity (a hallmark of high-altitude Mountadam fruit) balances the fruit and French oak richness and draws you to a long minerally finish. Rejoice! 13.5% alcohol; RRP $85.

SPECIALS $79.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in Premium Chardonnay dozen.

Rob Dolan White Label Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2022

Appealing creamy nougat notes on the nose, along with nectarine and almonds. The creaminess is there in the mouth too, part of a rich and rounded palate studded with more of the nectarine and apricot, lemon pith and toasty oak. Natural acidity keeps everything fresh. Excellent value. 95 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 13.5% alc, RRP $40 a bottle.

SPECIALS $35.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in Premium Chardonnay dozen.

Plantagenet York Great Southern Chardonnay 2024

Youthful scents of white peach, apples, nutmeg and cashews open the door to intense citrus flavours on the palate. It’s a concentrated drinking experience, with crisp acidity, a textural pith and lovely acidity on the tongue, drawing you to a long, precise finish. High-quality winemaking. 95 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 13.5% alcohol; RRP $45.

SPECIALS $39.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in Premium Chardonnay dozen.

Hungerford Hill Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2023

From the foothills of the Snowy Mountains. Delicate aromas of green apple, citrus and pear prime the palate for a fresh stream of citrus flavours (lemon and grapefruit) mingling with vanilla, toasted nuts and a touch of spice. Minerality on the finish. Won Best in Region Chardonnay Trophy at the 2024 James Halliday Australian Chardonnay and Cabernet Challenge. 12.5% alcohol; RRP $50.

SPECIALS $45.99 a bottle in any dozen; $29.99 a bottle in Premium Chardonnay dozen.

PREMIUM CHARDONNAY DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $29.99 a bottle. SAVE $300.