2025 Kooyong Estate Chardonnay, Mornington Peninsula

The Estate’s Faultline and Farrago blocks provided the fruit here, which was subsequently blended. The grapes underwent a gentle whole bunch pressing, directly into French oak barriques and puncheons, with 20% of them new, before fermentation, after which the wine spent eleven months maturing on lees, without bâttonage. Very pale lemon in colour, this is a finely crafted and thoroughly entrancing Chardonnay. We have notes of gentle citrus and stone fruit, peach pits, grapefruit and lemon curd on the nose. There is superbly integrated oak here. The wine walks the tightrope between good intensity and elegance. Serious length through to a bright and fresh finish with satiny tannins, there is such fine balance throughout. Ten years of pleasure ahead, fifteen if you’re patient. Drink to 2041.

96 points Ken Gargett for Wine Pilot, June 2026

Pale lemon in the glass, with layered aromas of toasted almond oak, just-ripe nectarine, grapefruit peel and lemon blossom, an integrated, subtle struck match reductive note. The palate is fine, elegant fruit dancing in balance with pristine chalky acidity, the finish saline and lingering. A cracking wine, with everything in harmony. Drink to 2032.

95 points Melissa Moore for The Real Review, August 2026

A blend of two top blocks – Faultline and Farrago – from the estate vineyard showcases an elegant, restrained Chardonnay that is still very much enjoying its youth. This is undoubtedly a good thing because it certainly has the ability to age further and very well at that. An exacting, exciting wine with emerging aromas of citrus, stone fruit, quince, almond cream, hazelnut with a Meyer lemon sweet scent coming through. To taste, note the textural quality developing that is so appealing together with a creamy leesy mouthfeel and flavour with background baked bread. This is a wine of class with an energy fuelled by bright acidity. A few swishes of air and everything melds and builds in unison. In sync right now, with a big, blossoming future ahead. Drink to 2037.

95 points Jeni Port for Wine Pilot, June 2026

Kooyong is a specialist Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producer based at Tuerong on the Mornington Peninsula, where the Gjergja family has farmed 40 hectares of estate vines since 1996.

This an estate blend from the Faultline and Farrago blocks. From the near-perfect 2025 vintage, the hand harvested fruit was whole bunch pressed into a combination of French oak barriques and puncheons of which 20% were new for fermentation with endemic yeasts. The wine was then allowed to rest on lees without stirring for eleven months before the parcels were blended and prepared for bottling that took place without fining and with minimal filtration.