Go West for golden chardonnays from Willow Bridge, West Cape Howe, Lange Estate and Risky Business

These West Australian chardonnays, with 90+ ratings, show how Mother Nature’s influence provides a golden touch to help create wines of distinction.

WA chardonnay is available at a great price with this week’s offer from The Australian Wine Club.

You can point to so many things that make a bottle of West Australian chardonnay so gloriously distinct – the landscape where it grows, the breezes coming in off the coastline, the oak it matures in. But eucalyptus? Not so much.

And yet, should you open a bottle of Willow Bridge’s G1-10 Geographe chardonnay as part of this week’s special offer case from The Australian Wine Club, the influence is real.

Not in a literal sense, not on the nose or the palate. Nobody wants chardy with a streak of eucalypt.

But at the Willow Bridge vineyard planted some 30 years ago by a farming family, the gnarled Marri trees are part of the circle of life that has delivered a run of sophisticated vintages and helped to turn a little pocket of WA into a unique hotbed of elegant wines and gourmet food.

Founder Jeff Dewar can appreciate the role the Marri trees scattered across Willow Bridge’s rolling acres in the Ferguson Valley, 175km south of Perth, have played in its past and present.

The vineyards are planted in the Marri soil so prized by winemakers in WA, layers of red gravel and loam that typically host the red gums.

Dewar and his wife, Vicki, were well aware of the Marri trees’ influence in 1996 when they bought the site, and knew also that their flowers were a perfect lure for birds from the neighbouring state forest that otherwise might come pecking at the vines.

“Because there’s no way we could net 150 acres of vine,” laughs Dewar. “But probably 70 per cent of the time the Marri trees do blossom, so the silvereyes would much rather stay in the forest and eat the blossom and leave the grapes alone.”

Vicki and Jeff Dewar on their Willow Bridge vineyard with children, from left, Cameron, Adele, Luisa and Kyle.

The birds’ loss is our gain, with the G1-10 Geographe Chardonnay one of a quartet of chardonnays from WA, offering a spread of varietal variation at an average bottle price of just $23.99.

Also in the selection is the West Cape Howe Styx Gully Great Southern Chardonnay, with 92 points from the Halliday Wine Companion, the Lange Estate Providence Road Great Southern Chardonnay, also 92 points from Halliday, and the Risky Business White Knuckle Margaret River Chardonnay, with 90 points from Wine Orbit.

Some might argue “risky business” is an appropriate label for the rolling seasonal challenges of winemaking, but Dewar’s farming background gives him a valuable sense of perspective.

“We just have to accept there will be factors outside your control – like birds, like the weather – and understanding that definitely comes from having an agricultural background,” he says.

“You accept that every year is going to throw up challenges and you just have to deal with it, otherwise farming and agriculture isn’t the space that you probably should be in.

“But it’s nice to reflect on taking the challenge to do something on this scale, in a so-called unknown region. Now it’s an area that quite a few of the Margaret River brands are buying fruit from.

“It’s a very consistent region, only 20 kilometres from the coast and that nice maritime breeze definitely has an impact on the quality.”

Willow Bridge G1-10 Geographe Chardonnay 2023

Appropriately there’s a sea-breeze salinity on the nose that softens the citrus fruit wash and lemon sherbet tartness. More sherbet follows on the palate, a little more salinity too plus grapefruit notes and savoury oak. The finish is savoury, the palate nicely weighted, and its best friend could well be a piece of fish pan-fried to a crispy skin. 13.3% alc, RRP $35 a bottle.

SPECIALS $31.99 in any dozen, $23.99 in WA Chardonnay dozen.

West Cape Howe Styx Gully Great Southern Chardonnay 2023

Flecks of green point up the pale gold hue on first pour and hint at the lemon, pear and honey notes on the nose – seguing to nectarine and white peach, and just a hint of chalk. The palate offers more lemon and lime along with grapefruit pith, and the balance is just so elegant. A good acidity keeps it lovely and fresh, and there’s a hint of savouriness from the oak. 12.5% alc, RRP $36 a bottle.

SPECIALS $29.99 in any dozen, $23.99 in WA Chardonnay dozen.

Lange Estate Providence Road Great Southern Chardonnay 2023

A super-fresh chardy that’s bursting with toasty oak and mandarins, nectarine and ripe melon on the nose – with just a hint of spice and clove. On the palate there’s oatmeal, melon and nectarine, ripe citrus and spicy oak. The tangy acidity keeps it all fresh and delicious. 13% alc, RRP $35 a bottle.

SPECIALS $29.99 in any dozen, $23.99 in WA Chardonnay dozen.

Risky Business White Knuckle Margaret River Chardonnay 2023

A ride that’s more dreamy than white knuckle, this has a gorgeous golden hue and aromas that leap from the glass – stone fruits such as peach and yellow nectarine, and some gooseberry and vanilla for good measure. In the mouth there’s a delicious balance between fruit and oak, the stone fruits coming again with hints of lemon and a very more-ish mouthfeel. 12.5% alc, RRP $25 a bottle.

SPECIALS $21.99 in any dozen, $23.99 in WA Chardonnay dozen.

WA CHARDONNAY DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $23.99 a bottle. SAVE $105.

Order online or phone [phone] Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST and quote ‘ACCJ’. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.