West is best for chardonnay? Four reasons to believe

As any parent knows, you could give all your children the same genes, the same name and the same upbringing, but the personalities that develop will show infinitesimal quirks and variations as the years go by.

That thought struck me after The Australian Wine Club tasting panel sampled this week’s dozen deal, when a friend nodded approvingly at hearing it was comprised entirely of chardonnay. “That’s my go-to,” she said.

But that’s the thing – for all that these four beautiful chardies are from Western Australia, and two made from grapes grown just a few kilometres apart, the kinship between them is wonderfully loose. One grape, one state, but four wines whose flavour profiles are subtly but vitally diverse.

It’s this sense of micro-regionality, nuances of terrain and climate, that make a case such as this so intriguing to explore.

A couple of Saturdays ago, Tom Wisdom – managing director of Plantagenet Wines in the Great Southern region of WA, whose York Great Southern Chardonnay is one of the four on show here – hosted a dinner matching his wines with Wagyu beef produced a half-hour’s drive from the estate, where the coastal climate produces luscious grasses very much to the taste of the cattle.

The point of the dinner was to highlight and celebrate locality on the plate and in the glass. “The whole piece is that you are where you are from – all the things that make your estate fruit what it is are kind of dictated to you by what soils you’re in, what aspect you are, how close to the coast you are,” Wisdom says.

“The point is that the quality of what you can do or the style elements of what you produce is dictated to you. You can do a few little things, but in the main, it’s where you are from.

“It all comes back to the importance of the estate. If you focus in on why each chardonnay is different, it comes back to each one growing in a certain location, and that should be celebrated.”

Wisdom would love for that idea of locality to take hold in wider perceptions of Australian wine, beyond the broadbrush associations such as cabernet sauvignon from the Coonawarra, or shiraz from the Barossa.

“The Great Southern (region) is cool-climate, but if you were then to look at a couple of Margaret River chardonnays, for example, or Pemberton chardonnays, they’re very different in terms of their climatic aspect,” he says.

“What we look for in our chardonnay is: What is the cool-climate expression of Western Australian chardonnay? For us, that’s quite austere, fruit-driven, reasonably high on the spectrum of chardonnay acid.

“The fruit is quite delicate, not robust. It’s quite interesting that in the Margaret River, which is really well known for high-quality chardonnay, there’s a move towards the southern end to go for that fruit-driven, more acidic style, whereas when you go further north, it still lends itself to those bigger, richer, oak-driven wines.”

One grape, one state, but four wines whose flavour profiles are subtly but vitally diverse. Pic: supplied

Plantagenet York Great Southern Chardonnay 2023

A light golden colour in the glass sets the scene for restrained aromas of stone fruit, hints of gooseberry and cashew cut through by the flintiness and flashes of ginger. It’s in the mouth that this comes into its own, the rich creamy palate brought to life by the lovely acidity on the tongue – and then a cool lime cordial of a finish. 93 pts from Wine Pilot. 13.5% alc, RRP $45 a bottle.

SPECIALS: $39.99 in any dozen; $22.99 in chardonnay dozen.

Thompson Estate Margaret River Chardonnay 2023

Let the wafts of lemon, tinned peaches and then butterscotch build the anticipation, heightened by a nutty back note that rewards a good, deep sniff. There’s no anticlimax on first sip either, balanced acidity keeping the palate rounded and rewarding; think creamy, tart desserts like a gooseberry fool, that’ll keep you sipping. 94 pts from Wine Pilot and a 5-red star Halliday-rated winery. 12.5% alc, RRP $60 a bottle.

SPECIALS: $52.99 in any dozen; $22.99 in chardonnay dozen.

Moss Brothers Moses Rock Margaret River Chardonnay 2023

You can feel the warmth of late summer right through this, from the golden straw hue and the lemons and nectarines that dominate the nose, to the ripe melon, pineapple and generous oak that make it a mouthful to savour. The palate is textured with minerality, and just the right amount of acidity to keep the edges defined. 92 pts from Wine Pilot. 13.2% alc; RRP $32 a bottle.

SPECIALS: $25.99 in any dozen; $22.99 in chardonnay dozen.

Willow Bridge G1-10 Geographe Chardonnay 2022

There’s a ripeness to this that starts with the stone fruits – particularly apricots – that stand out on the nose, pear too but suffused with toasty oak notes and a hint of smokiness. Those ripe apricots are also there on the tongue, alongside the tang of nectarines and a wash of creamy vanilla. 94 pts from Ray Jordan and a 5-red star Halliday-rated winery. 13.5% alc, RRP $35 a bottle.

SPECIALS: $31.99 in any dozen; $22.99 in chardonnay dozen.

SPECIAL CHARDONNAY DOZEN: Three bottles of each wine above for $22.99 a bottle. SAVE $240.

Order by simply clicking the links to our online store or telephone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm AEST. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550. Stockhead is partnering with The Australian Wine Club on this offer.