Grand chardonnay from Hunter Valley’s historic Dalwood vineyard and Margaret River’s Thompson Estate

A national treasure regarded as the birthplace of Hunter Valley wine is the ideal place to begin our focus on this beloved white.

Back on top: Chardonnay’s charms are rising in popularity once more.

On the banks of the Hunter River, winemaker Bryan Currie is playing with history.

It’s a very special vineyard that has his attention – a national treasure, no less, widely regarded as the birthplace of Hunter Valley wine.

Dalwood vineyard, the oldest continuously operated vineyard in Australia, is the ideal place to begin our focus on chardonnay this week. The Australian Wine Club is offering four chardonnays – from the Hunter, Margaret River, the Adelaide Hills and Burgundy – in an exceptional mixed-dozen deal.

At Dalwood, Currie is walking in the footsteps of winemaking giants: it was George Wyndham who first planted wines at this unique riverside terrace in 1828. His son, John Wyndham, took Hunter wines to the world, winning top awards from London and Paris to Amsterdam and Calcutta, a century before Australia again achieved wide global recognition.

“It is truly a great privilege to work with this vineyard,’’ Currie tells me. “It is an amazing place – the Wyndham family graveyard is here among the vines, along with George Wyndham’s cottage.’’

Dalwood’s climate is quite different to that experienced by many of the well-known Hunter vineyards around Pokolbin, about 30km to the southwest.

“It’s cooler – we have a lovely sea breeze that comes up the valley that keeps the grapes cool at night. It’s a great place for white grapes,” says Currie, also chief winemaker at Hungerford Hill.

Dalwood has been in the hands of some of the biggest names in wine over the past century, from the Wyndhams to Penfolds in the early 1900s, to Perc McGuigan in the 1960s and then on to Pernod Ricard.

Nowadays, Dalwood is in the private hands of hospitality entrepreneur Sam Arnaout, chief executive of fast-growing IRIS Capital, which owns a string of iconic venues including Manly’s Hotel Steyne, The Bourbon in Potts Point and Lasseters in Alice Springs.

Currie’s journey to Dalwood has also been filled with colour – he is a palaeontologist by profession, credited with discovering in Queensland an early tetrapod preserved from the period when fish first began to walk on to land.

But it is wine – and chardonnay in particular – that is his passion. “If anything, chardonnay is becoming more and more popular. It is my favourite wine to drink and make,’’ he says. “With chardonnay, there’s complexity in the way you make the wine.

“I enjoy wild ferments and I try to push it a bit further every year. It’s the attention to detail, the one-percenters, that turn a really good wine into a fabulous wine.”

Here’s four fabulous chardonnays that I believe deserve your attention.

Dalwood Estate Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2020

A beautifully balanced wine. Ripe fruit flavours of peach and nectarine mingle with cashew nut complexity and creamy characters, all swimming along a good line of natural acidity. Richness without high alcohol. It’s the complete package from a unique site. 13% alc. RRP $35 a bottle. SPECIALS $27.99 a bottle in any dozen; $24.99 in mixed chardonnay dozen.

Thompson Estate Margaret River Chardonnay 2020

High-quality chardonnay from one of Margaret River’s most consistent high-quality labels. A pretty nose of citrus and peach flows through to a restrained palate led by grapefruit flavours, with white peach in the background. Touches of French oak spice and cinnamon lead to a clean, lingering finish. Will delight lovers of sophisticated Margaret River chardonnay. 96 points from James Halliday and a red star for exceptional value. 13.3% alc. RRP $50 a bottle.

SPECIALS $39.99 a bottle in any dozen; $24.99 in mixed chardonnay dozen.

Domaine Dampt Chevalier d’Eon Bourgogne Tonnerre 2019

 

There’s a purity of fruit and intensity to this white Burgundy, from the Bourgogne Tonnerre appellation. White flowers, stone fruit and grapefruit aromas and flavours flow; generous and rounded with a gentle minerality running through the palate. The estate was founded by Bernard Dampt in 1980 and is now run by sons Eric, Emmanuel and Herve. They have won numerous top medals and the award of Chablis Young Winemaker of the Year. This is superb value – but there’s even an intriguing story behind the label. The wine is named after Chevalier d’Eon, who was born in Tonnerre and worked as a crack spy for King Louis XV in the 1700s. D’Eon found fame when it was revealed he had presented as a woman to infiltrate the court of Empress Elizabeth of Russia. 13% alc. RRP $40 a bottle. SPECIALS $35.99 a bottle in any dozen; $24.99 in mixed chardonnay dozen.

The Kings’ Creed Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2020

Crafted by acclaimed winemaker Ben Riggs using pristine Adelaide Hills fruit. Medium weight in structure, you’ll find refreshing apple, stone fruit and citrus flavours. The fruit was whole bunch pressed and fermented in old French oak barrels. Left on lees for six months. Perfect for lunch with poached chicken and a Waldorf salad. 13% alc. RRP $25 a bottle

SPECIALS $21.25 a bottle in any dozen; $24.99 in mixed chardonnay dozen.

CHARDONNAY DEAL Three bottles of each wine for $24.99 a bottle.

Order online or telephone [phone] Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm AEST. Deals only available while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine.