2024 Port Phillip Estate Balnarring Chardonnay, Mornington Peninsula

With each vintage, the role of vine age is becoming more apparent in the depth and intensity of Mornington Peninsula’s premier white grape variety. Balnarring Chardonnay sourced almost entirely from 27-year-old vines is one such example displaying an impressive level of purity of Chardonnay expression from a cool, maritime climate. Fermentation in French oak barriques (18% new) and maturation on lees for 11 months brings an added layer of flavour, beautifully integrated. The scent is quietly intoxicating in bright lemon, lime cordial, lemon zest, pear and nectarine. The palate is intense, tightly formed and upfront in fresh fruit appeal in crunchy white peach, nectarine, juicy red apple, Asian pear and spices. Combines the best of both worlds: drink now and enjoy that delectable immediacy of fruit and/or age and see it blossom further. . . and it will.

95 points Jeni Port for Winepilot

Flinty and fine, long and pure, linear yet flavoursome – characters I love in chardonnay, and all here. This is tight still; it’s the vintage with all that acidity, which is cleansing and mouth-watering. But there’s good fruit, with a touch of ginger spice and woodsy flavour, a fine thread of nutty lees, the finish long and lingering.

95 points Special Value Jane Faulkner for Halliday Wine Companion

Port Phillip Estate has established itself among the Mornington Peninsula's finest producers, crafting wines that capture the individuality of the region's most distinguished vineyard sites. Under the guidance of Chief Winemaker Kate McIntyre MW, the estate combines meticulous viticulture with thoughtful winemaking to produce Chardonnays of precision, texture and remarkable elegance. The Balnarring Chardonnay is a superb expression of this cooler maritime subregion, celebrated for its purity, finesse and vibrant natural acidity.

The Balnarring vineyard lies on the Peninsula's cooler western side, where coastal breezes and ancient sandy loam soils encourage slow, even ripening. The outstanding 2024 vintage produced fruit of exceptional intensity and balance, allowing wild fermentation, careful French oak maturation and extended lees ageing to build complexity without overshadowing the vineyard's distinctive mineral character.

The colour is a brilliant pale gold with green highlights. Aromas of white peach, nectarine and preserved lemon are layered with grapefruit zest, toasted hazelnut, oatmeal and delicate flinty notes. The palate is beautifully poised, combining vibrant citrus and stone fruit with creamy texture, seamlessly integrated oak and a chalky mineral line. Bright natural acidity carries the wine through a long, refined finish, where notes of roasted almond, lemon curd and wet stone linger with impressive persistence.

An outstanding match for grilled lobster, seared scallops, roast free range chicken, mushroom risotto, chargrilled asparagus with burrata or aged Comté. Captivating from release, this finely structured Chardonnay will continue to evolve gracefully over the next eight to ten years.