2025 Cherubino Chardonnay, Margaret River

Brings together fruit from the best blocks within the sub-regions of Karridale and Wilyabrup in Margaret River. Typically, handpicked and whole-bunch pressed before fermentation in a new and one-year-old French oak combination for just eight months. There’s power and complexity here, evident immediately on the nose and reinforced on the palate. Quince, crème brûlée, and lemon-meringue aromas swirl through a highly aromatic opening, and then on the palate there’s a richness and concentrated depth that gathers before driving through to a long, sustained finish with a final lick of minerality. It’s a terrific wine.  Drink to 2036.

97 points Ray Jordan for Wine Pilot, July 2026

Light-medium straw colour; almond-meal, oak spice and marzipan as well as smoky charcuterie show on the bouquet while the palate delivers intense fruit with piercing acidity and a certain nerviness. If drinking young, it's best with food. Outstanding intensity, harmony and persistence, and long-term cellaring potential. Drink to 2040.

96 points Huon Hooke for The Real Review, July 2026

Larry Cherubino Chardonnay from Margaret River is a sleek, finely crafted white that captures the essence of this renowned coastal region with purity, elegance and restrained power. Larry Cherubino, one of Western Australia’s most awarded and consistent winemakers, brings precision and a deep understanding of site to every wine he makes, and his Chardonnay is no exception.

Sourced from premium vineyards in Margaret River’s cooler southern subregions, the fruit benefits from gravelly soils, ocean breezes and a long, slow ripening season. These conditions produce Chardonnay with bright acidity, citrus-driven aromatics and layered complexity. Cherubino works with low yields and hand-picked fruit, focusing on finesse over richness.

The winemaking is detailed and sensitive. Whole-bunch pressed and wild fermented in French oak barriques, with partial malolactic fermentation and ageing on lees, the wine is built for both texture and energy. Oak is present but subtle, woven seamlessly into the structure of the wine.

In the glass, it offers aromas of white nectarine, lemon curd, cashew and struck flint. The palate is fine and long, with citrus and stone fruit at its core, supported by creamy lees texture, fresh acidity and a saline, mineral finish. It’s a sophisticated and age-worthy Chardonnay that rivals top examples from the Yarra and Adelaide Hills.

Pair it with grilled lobster, roast chicken with tarragon, or miso-glazed cod. It will drink well young with a decant but has the structure and finesse to evolve gracefully over the next 7 to 10 years.