Carillion Stonefields Reserve Chardonnay 2021

If you were to open the latest 2024 James Halliday Wine Companion and scan through for wineries that achieved scores of 97 points or more, chances are you'd stop in your tracks upon reaching the page featuring Carillion wines. Indeed, their lineup is impressive, with several wines nudging into the upper echelons of 98 points.

Carillion stands majestically above Tallavera Grove in the Hunter Valley, yet their influence extends far beyond. With vineyards scattered across New South Wales and beyond, their range showcases an extraordinary breadth of styles and varietals. Take, for example, this Chardonnay from the South Australian region of Wrattonbully. The Stonefields vineyard is renowned for producing some of the Limestone Coast's most outstanding wines, and this Chardonnay is no exception. It represents an impeccable blend, selected across different rows, plots, and ripening periods to seamlessly integrate all elements of the vineyard's diversity. Featuring stone fruit, lemon balm, oatmeal, and creamed nougat, our tasting panel was thoroughly impressed by its strength, elegance, and persistence - especially given its price.

If you're the type of wine buyer who loves discovering exceptional finds before anyone else, or who keeps an ear to the ground for producers on a meteoric rise, then this Chardonnay will surely excite you.