16 Best Chardonnay of November 2020
November 12, 2020
Australian Chardonnay is in the midst of a purple patch, with quality - and value - as good as it has ever been, as this collection of the 16 best …
Review: Oakridge 864 Henk Chardonnay 2018. Magnificent.
November 2, 2020
Corton or Yarra Valley? Yes, those Burgundy comparisons are cliché and boring, but the quality analogue isn't. This Oakridge 864 Henk Chardonnay 2018 is absolute top flight Chardonnay at a …
Review: Jules Taylor Chardonnay 2019
October 30, 2020
I had an (email) chat with Jules just the other week talking about vintage, Marlborough and what's selling. She was wonderfully honest and forthcoming with responses, which is sometimes the …
Review: Levantine Hill Chardonnay 2017
October 30, 2020
Always sexy oak on these Levantine wines. Another fine release is this Levantine Hill Chardonnay 2017 is too, lightly mealy with lemon butter, a coiffed palate of perfectly even fruit …
Holiday Highlights: Kumeu River Maté’s Vineyard Chardonnay 2016 & Howard Park Chardonnay 2019
October 14, 2020
I'm now officially back from holidays and have spent too many hours staring out the window and thinking about where I was just a few days ago - this beach …
Review: Curly Flat Chardonnay 2018
September 23, 2020
Easily the most embryonic Curly Chard I've had in some time, with this Curly Flat Chardonnay 2018 looking definitively cool climate. Caramel nougat over a palate that is tighter, leaner, snap …
Review: Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2018
September 9, 2020
While not quite of the same calibre as the exceptional Tiers, this Tapanappa Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay 2018 is another solid Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. Tight and citrussy lemon butter style, the palate …
Review: In Dreams Chardonnay 2019. $25 Chardonnay steal.
September 5, 2020
On recent form, I like everything Anthony Fikkers touches (like the Gamay). and this In Dreams Chardonnay 2019 is compelling wine. From vineyards all over the Yarra with a smorgasbord of …
Review: Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay 2018. Chardonnay satisfaction.
September 1, 2020
This is now the third bottle of Tapanappa Tiers Chardonnay 2018 and each time it gets better. Now officially at 'phwoar' level. For a little context about Tiers, you need to …
Review: Steels Gate Home Block Blanc de Blancs 2016
August 3, 2020
Like all of the Steels Gate wines, this Steels Gate Home Block Blanc de Blancs 2016 is a model of delicacy. Pure and vital, it's all white flowers and marzipan, the …
Review: Hanging Rock The Jim Jim Chardonnay 2018
August 1, 2020
I think the Hanging Rock table wines are most underrated. The bubbles get plenty of attention, but there's glory across the board. This Hanging Rock The Jim Jim Chardonnay 2018 …
Review: Bird on a Wire Chardonnay 2017
July 30, 2020
Caroline Mooney's latest Bird on a Wire Chardonnay 2017 is a masterful wine. Sourced from the Willowlake vineyard, it's whole bunch pressed, wild fermented and 30% of the blend goes …
Review: Levantine Hill Katherine’s Paddock Chardonnay 2017. Filigreed Yarra white.
July 28, 2020
Every time. Every wine. There's a detail in all of the Levantine Hill 'Paddock' wines that is hard to ignore. It's a nod to winemaking skill (hat tip Paul Bridgeman), to …
Review: Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 2018. Yes. Yes.
July 15, 2020
Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay 2018 Somehow this slipped through the cracks when it first landed, and what a wine to fall through the cracks - a true benchmark for Australian Chardonnay. It spends …
The Almost Club Lockdown edition: 68 wines that almost made it over the past 3 months
July 8, 2020
Not all wines can be great. Plenty are just ok drinks. And some are just bad. Here then is a selection of wines that almost made it over the past few …
Review: Silkwood Estate The Bowers Chardonnay 2018
May 5, 2020
Silkwood's wines have taken big leaps in recent vintages but there remains stumbles. This Pemberton Chardonnay has ripe fruit but a lumpy middle, the flavours end up tinny and a …
Review: Eldorado Road Chardonnay 2018
April 30, 2020
Shout it from the rooftops - Eldorado Road, as a label, should be much more famous. The wines are too interesting, too keen, too complex to be 'just another Victorian …
Review: Hill Smith Estate Eden Valley Chardonnay 2018
April 29, 2020
I don't get it. This Hill Smith Estate Eden Valley Chardonnay 2018 is wild fermented Eden Valley Chardonnay that spends 6 months in barrel. Clearly the aim is delicacy but …
The Tiers vineyard turns 40. Here is a whole lotta Chardonnay to celebrate
March 10, 2020
I'm in cleanup mode at the moment, sifting through the (physical) sample pile and my (digital) notes to tidy things up Kondo-style. While it's cathartic to delete some half-baked stories written …
20 of the best Australian Chardonnay this February
February 28, 2020
Chardonnay, like it or not, is still the most important white grape in the country, making up over 45% of all white grapes crushed, and 20% of total grapes crushed, …
About me – Andrew Graham
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At 18, I started working in a small suburban bottleshop, largely to buy cheap beer. It was my first year of university, slogging through physics and chemistry, so a liquor shop seemed like fun. Needless to say, I discovered wine, and my life evolved with a unique dual focus - wine and environment.
Twenty years later and I spend my days wearing many (wine) hats, mostly as a writer, presenter and marketer.
I now judge at wine shows around the world, sit on the Australian Wine List of the Year awards panel and was once a Wine Journalism Young Gun (but baby that was years ago).
Currently, I write features for a variety of publications including National Liquor News, Gourmet Traveller WINE and the RAS, plus I'm a former Lifestyle FOOD channel wine expert.
In 2019 and 2020 I was voted in the Top 30 Best Wine Critics in The World, and in my spare time, I'm a sucker for punishment and run trail ultra marathons, much to the delight of my long-suffering family. Read more about me here or get in touch to book your next wine event with me here
