2024 Mayford Porepunkah Chardonnay, Alpine Valley

This is a wonderful chardonnay in the making. It’s tight, flavoursome, characterful and – in an elegant context – powerful. It tastes of pears, bacon, yellow peach, cedar and crunchy apples, with almond paste and tonic water as whispers. Texture; it has plenty. Length; to burn. There’s a lemonade note here too, which mingles with woodsmoke and cream to intoxicating effect. Set-and-forget this in the cellar for a few years and it will soar.

95+ points Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

Multiple small batches, whole-bunch pressed, indigenous yeast, fermented in French barriques (25% new), full solids, lees stirred, 12 months' maturation. A real beauty of a chardonnay that combines cool-climate poise and a deep-set complexity. Aromas set the scene in white flowers, flinty grapefruit and citrus, stone fruits, almond meal and spice. With senses on alert, the palate – taut and well composed – beckons. Acidity is a feature, driving tangy citrus and stone fruit flavours long, paired with oak spice, sourdough bread and grilled nuts. Flavours intertwine, complexity rules and you know it's still very much early days for this stunner.

96 points Special Value Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion February 2026

Mayford is the small, fiercely individual project of Eleana Anderson and Bryan Nicholson, tucked high in the hills above Porepunkah in Victoria’s Alpine Valleys. Together they have built a devoted following for tiny production wines shaped by their remarkable mountain vineyard. Chardonnay is particularly compelling here, with altitude, cool nights and granitic soils giving the wine a distinctive combination of flavour, freshness and savoury complexity.

The vineyard sits at around 500 metres above sea level, where the elevated position slows ripening and helps retain acidity through the warm summer months. The granitic soils and cool Alpine conditions give the Chardonnay a firm, savoury personality, while barrel fermentation and lees ageing build texture without smothering the fruit. The 2024 combines concentration with a lovely sense of restraint, more about citrus, stone fruit and mineral detail than overt oak.

Pale straw gold, the bouquet opens with white peach, nectarine and Meyer lemon, followed by grapefruit oil and delicate blossom. Struck flint, cashew, fresh almond and warm sourdough appear as it opens. The palate has lovely texture, with stone fruit and lemon curd filling the middle before bright acidity pulls everything back into line. Grapefruit pith, roasted almond and a smoky mineral note linger through a long, dry finish.

King prawns with burnt butter and capers would be superb, alongside scallops with cauliflower and hazelnut, steamed snapper with ginger and spring onion, chicken with morels or charred leeks with miso and sesame. Our pick is the king prawns. Sweet shellfish, nutty butter and salty capers against the Chardonnay’s citrus, almond and smoky edge should be cracking.

Cellaring: Drink from 2026 to 2036.