Eldridge Wines

2023 Eldridge Chardonnay | 95 Points Halliday & Wine Front | Mornington Peninsula

Name: 2023 Eldridge Chardonnay | 95 Points Halliday & Wine Front | Mornington Peninsula
Brand: Eldridge Wines
Price: 80.00 AUD
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$80.00 AUD

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🏆 Double 95 Points | A Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay Masterpiece from the Former Giant Steps Winemaker!

95 Points – The Wine Front | 95 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

Just 190 Dozen Produced | Steve Flamsteed's Extraordinary New Chapter at Eldridge!

2023 Eldridge Chardonnay

Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria

RRP $80

What happens when you take one of the Mornington Peninsula's historic vineyards, put it in the hands of the former winemaker of Giant Steps, and ask him to make something extraordinary?

You get one hell of a Chardonnay!

And that's exactly what we have here with the 2023 Eldridge Chardonnay.

This is a fascinating wine from one of the Mornington Peninsula's most exciting revitalised estates.

And the critics have certainly taken notice.

95 POINTS – CAMPBELL MATTINSON, THE WINE FRONT!

95 POINTS – JANE FAULKNER, HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION!

But here's the part that makes this wine particularly interesting.

Just 190 dozen bottles were produced.

That's only 2,280 bottles.

And the man helping guide this extraordinary little estate?

Steve Flamsteed.

The former chief winemaker at Giant Steps, one of Australia's most celebrated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers.

Now that's a combination that gets me excited.

A historic Red Hill vineyard.

An extraordinarily accomplished winemaker.

Beautifully mature vines.

Tiny production.

And a Chardonnay with remarkable flavour, texture, precision and length.

This is serious Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay.

Eldridge – One of the Mornington Peninsula's Most Fascinating Wine Stories

Eldridge has a remarkable history.

The vineyard was established in 1985 by David and Wendy Lloyd in Red Hill, one of the Mornington Peninsula's most celebrated cool-climate districts.

For decades, David Lloyd built a reputation for producing distinctive Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from this small estate.

But in 2022, a fascinating new chapter began.

Elli and Vicki Tutungi acquired Eldridge.

Their ambition was not to transform it into a large commercial winery.

Quite the opposite.

They wanted to concentrate on making a small number of exceptional wines from an extraordinary vineyard.

And to help achieve that ambition, they brought in one of Australia's most respected cool-climate winemakers.

Steve Flamsteed.

Together with winemaker and viticulturist Grace Jiranek, Steve has helped shape the estate's new direction.

The emphasis?

Exceptional vineyard management.

Small production.

Precision winemaking.

And wines that truly reflect Red Hill.

The 2023 Chardonnay is a magnificent demonstration of that philosophy.

Steve Flamsteed – The Man Behind Some of Australia's Greatest Chardonnays

If you love Australian Chardonnay, you'll know the name Steve Flamsteed.

For many years, Steve was the chief winemaker at Giant Steps in the Yarra Valley.

During his time there, Giant Steps established itself as one of Australia's benchmark producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The winery became renowned for its remarkable single-vineyard wines, with individual sites producing distinct expressions of the Yarra Valley.

Steve developed a reputation for making Chardonnay with beautiful fruit concentration, savoury complexity, mineral precision and exceptional balance.

And now he's bringing that extraordinary experience to Eldridge.

But here's what makes the project so compelling.

He's not trying to turn Eldridge into Giant Steps.

He's working with an entirely different vineyard.

Different soils.

Different climate.

Different fruit.

And a fascinating opportunity to explore what makes Red Hill so special.

That's exactly what great winemaking should be about.

The Vineyard – Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula

Red Hill is one of Australia's great cool-climate Chardonnay districts.

Located in the elevated southern part of the Mornington Peninsula, the region enjoys the moderating influence of the surrounding seas.

The combination of relatively cool growing conditions, elevation and distinctive soils provides excellent conditions for Chardonnay.

Eldridge's vineyard sits approximately 200 metres above sea level.

And here's something particularly interesting.

The vineyard grows on red volcanic soils.

These soils are one of the defining features of Red Hill.

They influence vine growth, drainage and the way the vineyard responds to seasonal conditions.

And they help give Eldridge its distinctive sense of place.

The result is Chardonnay with impressive fruit intensity, but also beautiful natural acidity and fine structural detail.

Tasting Notes – Grilled Peach, Citrus, Savoury Complexity and Extraordinary Length

The 2023 Eldridge Chardonnay is a wonderfully expressive wine.

There's serious fruit concentration here.

But also the sort of savoury complexity and mineral freshness that makes great Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay so compelling.

The aromatics reveal:

Grilled peach and nectarine
Fresh grapefruit
Lemon juice and citrus zest
Toasted cashew
Roasted almond
Creamy lees
Subtle bacon and savoury smoke
Fine French oak
Gentle spice
Saline mineral complexity

The palate is absolutely gorgeous.

Beautifully concentrated stone fruit and citrus flavours immediately fill the mouth.

But then something fascinating happens.

The wine becomes increasingly savoury.

There's a wonderful combination of toasted nuts, subtle smoke, creamy lees and fine mineral character.

And the acidity?

Electric.

It cuts through the richness, giving the wine remarkable freshness and precision.

The texture is beautifully layered.

Rich, but never heavy.

Powerful, but wonderfully controlled.

And the finish is exceptionally long.

Grilled peach. Grapefruit. Toasted cashew. Savoury complexity. Saline freshness. Extraordinary length.

This is Chardonnay with serious personality.

95 Points – Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

Campbell Mattinson awarded the 2023 Eldridge Chardonnay an outstanding:

95 POINTS – THE WINE FRONT

And here's something particularly interesting.

He was tempted to give it 96!

95 Points – Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion

Jane Faulkner was equally impressed.

95 POINTS – HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

Two outstanding critics. Two 95-point scores. One extraordinary Chardonnay.

The Winemaking – Wild Fermentation, French Oak and Beautiful Texture

Here's where things become particularly interesting.

The 2023 Eldridge Chardonnay was made from several Chardonnay parcels and clones, brought together to create a complete expression of the vineyard.

The fruit was whole-bunch pressed.

Fermentation occurred naturally using wild yeasts, with the juice fermented on full solids in French oak puncheons.

Approximately 25% of the oak was new.

The wine underwent 100% malolactic fermentation.

Now, that might sound surprising.

Because full malolactic fermentation can produce Chardonnay with a softer, creamier palate.

But this wine retains extraordinary acidity.

That's a wonderful demonstration of the freshness of the Red Hill fruit.

The wine then spent approximately 10 months in oak before being bottled in December 2023.

It received only coarse filtration.

The result?

A Chardonnay with beautiful texture, savoury complexity and remarkable energy.

Six Chardonnay Clones – A Fascinating Detail

Here's something many people wouldn't know about this wine.

The 2023 Eldridge Chardonnay incorporates fruit from six Chardonnay clones:

Penfolds 58

I10V5

548

Different Chardonnay clones can contribute different characteristics to a finished wine.

Some may emphasise citrus and freshness.

Others can provide additional fruit concentration, texture or aromatic complexity.

Of course, the final result also depends enormously on vineyard conditions, vine age, farming and winemaking.

But bringing these different parcels together gives the winemaking team another way to build complexity and balance.

And it's one of the reasons this Chardonnay is so fascinating.

Just 190 Dozen Produced

This is not a large-production wine.

Only 190 dozen bottles were made.

That's just 2,280 bottles.

For a Chardonnay from an established Red Hill vineyard, made under the guidance of Steve Flamsteed and carrying two 95-point reviews, that's a seriously compelling proposition.

These are exactly the wines we love discovering at Liquid Vibe.

Small production.

Exceptional vineyards.

Outstanding winemakers.

And wines that deliver genuine personality and complexity.

A Chardonnay for Lovers of Great White Burgundy

If you love Chardonnay from:

Meursault

Puligny-Montrachet

Saint-Aubin

Chassagne-Montrachet

or Australia's finest cool-climate regions, this wine deserves your attention.

Not because Eldridge is trying to imitate Burgundy.

But because it delivers many of the qualities that make great Chardonnay so compelling.

Beautiful fruit concentration.

Fine French oak.

Savoury complexity.

Remarkable acidity.

And extraordinary length.

It's a sophisticated, beautifully balanced wine with genuine ageing potential.

Cellaring Potential

The 2023 Eldridge Chardonnay is already a wonderful wine.

But don't underestimate its ability to develop.

The concentration, natural acidity and fine oak integration should support further evolution in the cellar.

Suggested drinking window: 2026–2033.

I'd happily open a bottle now.

But I'd also put a few away.

With time, expect the youthful citrus and stone fruit characters to develop deeper toasted nut, biscuit and savoury complexity.

Food Pairings

This is a sensational food wine.

Try it with:

Roast chicken with lemon and herbs
King George whiting
Grilled scallops
Lobster with beurre blanc
Mushroom risotto
Roast pork
Grilled crayfish
Comté
Gruyère

Personally, I'd love this with roast chicken, wild mushrooms and a beautiful cream sauce.

The Chardonnay has the richness to complement the food and the acidity to keep everything beautifully fresh.

Why We Love It at Liquid Vibe

Because this wine has an extraordinary story.

A historic Red Hill vineyard.

A new generation of owners.

One of Australia's most accomplished cool-climate winemakers.

Beautifully mature vines.

Six Chardonnay clones.

Thoughtful, precise winemaking.

And tiny production.

Look at what you're getting:

2023 Vintage

Red Hill, Mornington Peninsula

Eldridge Estate – Established 1985

Winemaking Led by Steve Flamsteed

Six Chardonnay Clones

Whole-Bunch Pressed

Wild Yeast Fermentation

25% New French Oak

100% Malolactic Fermentation

10 Months Maturation

Only 190 Dozen Produced

95 Points – The Wine Front

95 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

And:

RRP $80

This is serious Chardonnay.

A wine with extraordinary flavour, beautiful texture and remarkable freshness.

And a wonderful example of just how exciting the Mornington Peninsula has become.