Hoddles Creek Estate 2025 Yarra Valley Chardonnay shows citrus and stonefruit on the nose, a rounded palate with good length and acidity, and a light touch of new oak adding complexity. Pears, oyster shells, nectarines, grapefruit, cedar-spice and mineral — with an emphatic burst of fruit on the finish that places it in rare air once again. Give it until 2028 to really blossom.
Appearance
Bright, pale gold — the youthful colour of a 2025 Upper Yarra Chardonnay of genuine intensity and cool-climate precision.
Nose
Citrus and stonefruit lead the bouquet, with pears and oyster shell adding complexity and a mineral, cedar-spice character that signals both site and craft.
Palate
Nectarines, grapefruit, cedar-spice and mineral, with a rounded palate, good length and refreshing acidity. The finish delivers an emphatic burst of fruit. Needs a little time in bottle to fully blossom. Drink 2028–2035+.
Winemaking
All fruit is hand-picked in the morning and immediately de-stemmed and lightly crushed into the press. No enzymes are used; instead the juice is allowed to settle naturally. Approximately fifteen different ferments are allowed to start naturally on full solids. After a select period, some juice is inoculated with cultured yeast and transferred to wood for fermentation. The wine is left on lees for approximately 11 months. Just before bottling, all clones are blended, cold stabilised, fined, and filtered.
Vineyard
The vineyard sits on the cool, elevated slopes above Hoddles Creek in the Upper Yarra Valley. Hand pruned and hand harvested.
Cellaring
5–10 years.
Serving Temperature
10–12°C.
Reviews
“It smells of pears and oyster shells; it tastes of nectarines, grapefruit, cedar-spice and mineral; it finishes with such an emphatic burst of fruit that its quality feels instantly upgraded. How or why this wine is only $26 I do not know. This release will need a bit of time in the bottle to really blossom but the power, structure, length and indeed X-factor place it in rare air once again.”
94 Points — Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front, May 2026. Drink: 2028–2035+
