2025 Pacha Mama Chardonnay, Yarra Valley

A luminous green gold. An attractive bouquet of white peach, gently grilled nuts and just a little lemon verbena. The palate is fresh and vibrant, finishing gently saline. A well-put-together and attractively priced wine to drink over the next two to three years.

93 points Special Value Philip Rich for Halliday Wine Companion, May 2026

Vibrant start with plenty of fresh aromatic fruit, stone fruit, quince and pomelo and a nutty thread, making up an almond friand and peach pastry. It’s more fruity than oaky in style, with texture, flavour punch and a clean-cut finish. Good one.

91 points Kasia Sobiesiak for The Wine Front

A wine that sings with Yarra Valleys confidence and cool climate expression. White peach, baked pineapple cake and lemon curd. Its zippy and zesty with acidity and a good dollop of vanilla spice undertones, the partial malo adds creamy oatmeal into the centre palate. Some ground ginger and white pepper to finish. This will uplift you and provide the robust round tones of full bodied Chardonnay at the same time. Go for something cheesy and toasty. Drink now or will cellar for 3 years further.

91 points Shanteh Wale for Wine Pilot, April 2026

The 2025 Pacha Mama Chardonnay is a blend of three vineyards and nine individual parcels. Predominantly Dijon clones 96 and P58, with smaller amounts of I10V1, the variations in aspect and soil allowed each parcel to be picked on flavour, building depth and cohesion in the final blend.

The hand-picked fruit was whole-bunch pressed, while the machine-harvested fruit was pressed on arrival. The juice was settled and racked to French oak barrels of which 10% were new. Fermentation started with both indigenous and inoculated yeasts, and the wine was allowed partial malolactic fermentation followed with extended lees aging. The blended wine was bottled unfined.

About this producer

Pachamama is winemaker Callie Jemmeson’s celebration of Mother Earth through wine. Working from her small-batch Yarra Valley, the negociant label sources fruit from trusted growers in Yarra and King Valleys as well as Heathcote. The elegant wines show varietal and regional typicity and are excellent value for money.