2025 Hoddles Creek Estate Chardonnay, Yarra Valley

Picked in two phases in this warm year, an earlier pick for acidity and a later one for flavour and texture. Aromas of stone fruit, yellow apple and just a hint of vanillin. The palate is moreish, finishing lemon-pithy and long. Drink now and over the next 2–3 years. Drink to 2029.

94 points Special Value Philip Rich for Halliday Wine Companion, September 2026

The estate grown fruit for this wine was hand-picked in the morning, de-stemmed and lightly crushed into the press, with the juice allowed to settle naturally. The small-batch ferments started with indigenous yeasts on full solids, with some additionally inoculated with a cultivated yeast before continuing fermentation in oak barrels. The parcels were assessed and blended after eleven, then stabilised, fined and filtered in preparation for bottling.

About this producer

Hoddles Creek Estate was established in 1997 by the D'Anna family on a property in the cooler, northern reaches of the Yarra Valley that they had held since 1960. The steep sloping, hand-tended 53-hectare vineyard sits along Gembrook Road and is planted to Pinots Gris and Noir, Chardonnay and small amounts Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard and winery is managed by a small team lead by winemaker Franco d’Anna.