2024 Yarra Yering Chardonnay | 97 Point Yarra Valley Chardonnay

🏆 97 + 96 + 95 POINTS | YARRA YERING | WORLD-CLASS YARRA VALLEY CHARDONNAY

One of Australia's Great Chardonnays

It is a Chardonnay built around intensity, precision and longevity rather than simple immediate fruitiness

97 Points – Halliday Wine Companion
96 Points – The Real Review
95 Points – The Wine Front

Yarra Valley, Victoria

RRP $142.50 a bottle

This is serious Chardonnay.

The 2024 Yarra Yering Chardonnay comes from the estate's two original Chardonnay blocks, connecting this wine directly to one of the most important vineyards in the modern history of the Yarra Valley. It is a Chardonnay built around intensity, precision and longevity rather than simple immediate fruitiness.

And the critics are unanimous:

97 Points – Halliday Wine Companion
96 Points – Huon Hooke, The Real Review
95 Points – Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

Yarra Yering also lists 95 points from Andrew Caillard MW and a Silver Medal at the 2025 Yarra Valley Wine Show.

This isn't simply one of Yarra Yering's best white wines.

It's one of the elite Chardonnays of Australia.

Tasting Notes

Expect a beautifully complex Chardonnay with layers of:

• White peach
• Green apple
• Nashi pear
• Lemon and grapefruit
• Orange blossom
• Oyster shell
• Sea spray
• Subtle struck match
• Toasted nuts
• Fine French oak
• Chalky minerality

There's power here, but also extraordinary precision.

The palate carries impressive fruit weight while remaining fine-boned and energetic. Citrus and crunchy green apple provide freshness, with pithy texture and bright acidity driving the wine through an exceptionally long finish.

Yarra Yering describes a combination of oyster shell, sea spray and lemon citrus, with a powdery, chalky texture and remarkable carry through the palate.

This is Chardonnay with tension, texture, minerality and serious length.

Critical Acclaim

97 Points – Halliday Wine Companion 2027
96 Points – Huon Hooke, The Real Review
95 Points – Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
95 Points – Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal

Halliday's Philip Rich praised its discreet, complex aromatics, drive, energy and long pithy finish, while noting that it should cellar effortlessly for years. Huon Hooke highlighted its concentration, delicacy and restrained power.

That's a formidable collection of reviews.

Chardonnay from Yarra Yering's Original Blocks

This is where the story becomes particularly special.

The 2024 Yarra Yering Chardonnay comes from the estate's two original Chardonnay blocks.

Yarra Yering's vineyard dates to 1969, putting these plantings right at the beginning of the modern revival of the Yarra Valley.

That history matters.

Mature vines tend to produce smaller quantities of fruit and can deliver remarkable concentration and consistency. Here, that old-vine material translates into Chardonnay with tremendous flavour intensity while retaining the natural freshness and precision for which the Yarra Valley is renowned.

This is not simply Chardonnay carrying the Yarra Yering name.

It is Chardonnay deeply connected to the history of the estate.

Precision Winemaking

The winemaking is deliberately restrained.

The 2024 was barrel fermented in French barriques, with approximately 30% new oak, and underwent no malolactic fermentation.

That decision is important.

Avoiding malolactic fermentation helps retain the wine's naturally bright acidity and citrus-driven tension rather than pushing it towards an overtly buttery style.

The oak contributes texture, spice and structure, but it never overwhelms the fruit.

The result is exactly what great modern Australian Chardonnay should be:

Power without heaviness.
Oak without excess.
Acidity without austerity.
Concentration without losing finesse.

The 2024 Yarra Valley Vintage

The 2024 season demanded patience.

Yarra Yering experienced its wettest January in more than 55 years, but warmer and drier conditions through February and March allowed the fruit to ripen slowly and evenly. Winemaker Sarah Crowe has highlighted the resulting intensity of flavour alongside the freshness and acidity that underpin the estate's 2024 wines.

That combination is particularly exciting for Chardonnay.

You get concentration and flavour, but also the acidity required for balance and long-term cellaring.

Yarra Yering at the Top of Australian Wine

Yarra Yering's reputation has arguably never been stronger.

Under winemaker Sarah Crowe, the estate continues to produce some of Australia's benchmark wines, and in 2026 it was named The Real Review's Best Australian Winery, following an assessment of more than 10,000 wines.

The 2024 Chardonnay demonstrates exactly why.

It's not flashy or exaggerated.

It's a wine built on vineyard, precision, restraint and detail.

Food Pairings

This deserves something special:

• Lobster
• Seared scallops
• Kingfish
• Grilled snapper
• Roast chicken
• Crab linguine
• Truffle risotto
• Butter-poached marron
• Comté
• Aged Gruyère

Don't serve it refrigerator-cold. Around 11–13°C will allow the texture and complexity to show properly.

And use a good Chardonnay or Burgundy glass.

Cellaring

The combination of old-vine concentration, acidity, citrus drive and restrained oak provides all the ingredients required for graceful development.

The Wine Front lists a drinking window of 2026–2035+, while Halliday's assessment also emphasises its ability to cellar effortlessly.

Drink now–2036+.

If opening one now, I'd give it some air and allow it to warm slightly in the glass.

Why We Love It

This is where you see the difference between very good Chardonnay and truly great Chardonnay.

The 2024 Yarra Yering Chardonnay isn't relying on huge oak, richness or winemaking tricks to impress you.

It comes from the estate's original Chardonnay blocks, is barrel fermented with restrained new French oak, sees no malolactic fermentation, and delivers a remarkable combination of white peach, citrus, green apple, oyster shell, sea spray and chalky minerality.

Then look at the scores:

97 Points – Halliday Wine Companion
96 Points – The Real Review
95 Points – The Wine Front

At RRP $142.50, this sits firmly among Australia's premium Chardonnays—and deservedly so.

If you collect Australia's greatest Chardonnays from producers such as Giaconda, Leeuwin Estate, By Farr, Bindi and Cullen, the 2024 Yarra Yering Chardonnay absolutely belongs in that company.

This is not just a great Yarra Valley Chardonnay.

It's one of Australia's great white wines.