Craiglee Chardonnay 2024 750ml

“Elegant Sunbury Chardonnay with white peach, nectarine, lemon, cashew and bright juicy acidity.”

Craiglee Chardonnay 2024 is one of those wines that reminds you why Craiglee has such a loyal following. It has plenty of flavour, but everything feels measured and beautifully balanced rather than pushed too far.

White peach, nectarine and lemon lead the way, with chargrilled pineapple, cashew, spice and a creamy nutty edge adding depth. The palate is full flavoured without becoming heavy, and the juicy acidity keeps the wine fresh right through the finish. Jane Faulkner awarded the 2024 wine 93 points for Halliday Wine Companion.

This wine is a proper cool climate Victorian Chardonnay from one of Sunbury’s benchmark producers. You get flavour, texture and ageing potential, but the wine is already beautifully composed now and does not need years in the cellar before it starts behaving itself.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: White peach, nectarine, lemon, chargrilled pineapple, cashew and gentle spice.

Palate: Full flavoured and polished with white stone fruit, grapefruit, creamy nutty lees and bright juicy acidity.

Finish: Long and balanced with lingering citrus, stone fruit, spice and fine savoury complexity.

Halliday Wine Companion - 93 Points

A mid-gold hue and bright; full of white peach, chargrilled pineapple and lemon. It’s flavoursome yet well composed. A dab of spice, a fine layer of creamy/nutty lees and juicy acidity to close, and it all adds to the pleasure of drinking this. Jane Faulkner

About The Winery

Craiglee is one of Victoria’s historic wine estates, originally established in the 1860s and replanted by Pat Carmody in 1976. Today the family continues to make small amounts of estate grown wine in Sunbury, with Shiraz, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon forming the heart of the range.

The Chardonnay is made entirely from estate grown fruit and has become one of the quiet standouts of the Craiglee range. Pat Carmody favours a relatively simple approach, picking the fruit with good ripeness, avoiding malolactic fermentation and using oak carefully so the fruit stays clear and fresh rather than disappearing behind winemaking.

It is a polished style, but still feels very Craiglee, generous, restrained and not remotely interested in showing off.

Cellaring Potential

Craiglee Chardonnay 2024 is drinking beautifully now, but it has the balance and acidity to develop further. Jane Faulkner recommends a drinking window of 2026 to 2031, and it should continue to build extra savoury and nutty complexity with time.

Details

Producer: Craiglee
Vintage: 2024
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Sunbury, Victoria, Australia
Bottle Size: 750ml
Wine Style: Elegant cool climate Chardonnay
Wine Sweetness: Dry
Wine Body: Medium to full bodied
ABV: 13.5%
Fruit Source: Estate grown
Review: 93 points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion