I ventured to Sydney for one last time in 2024, a crazy year that saw me in the stunning Harbour City four times for different events. This time, I wanted to try something more relaxed, without the need to vote or score, and I had just the idea.
Let’s mix Champagne and Chardonnay at an outdoor venue with a bunch of wine lovers and focus on enjoying what’s in the glass. Six Champagnes and six Chardonnays made their way to Sydney, and I was very keen to see people’s thoughts. As usual, it ended up being seven Champagnes and around nine Chardonnays, but who really minds, right?
With the Champagne, I wanted to showcase a vast variety of styles and prices, with wines under $100 all the way to $400+. This gives people a chance to find some diamonds in the rough or understand just why some bottles are so expensive. I actually threw in an Aussie sparkling made by my good friend Georgia Dale to showcase just how far Aussie sparkling has come. Two brackets of three were used, with the first bracket featuring the cheap and cheerful value picks: De Saint Galle Premier Cru NV (Non-Vintage), Champagne Lafalise Froissart (my new venture, with more details to follow), and Boll & Cie Blanc de Blanc NV, ensuring we got off to a tasty start. What I learned was that, for value, the Aussie sparkling really held its own. It proved that blind tastings make it much harder to judge price, and an inexpensive bottle can be just as enjoyable as an expensive one.
The second bracket was the more expensive lineup, also noting these were all vintage bottles (meaning the wine is of exceptional quality). Le Brun de Neuville 2009, Boll & Cie Grand Vintage 2001, and Billecart Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon 2008 were all in smashing form, highlighting the quality of vintage Champagne and how vintage conditions can absolutely enhance a wine’s ability to age and hold structure. The 2001 was divisive, with half of the guests (the majority of them women, for some reason) not enjoying the honey and nougat tones coming through, while most of the men seemed to really enjoy it. Perhaps the ladies prefer a fresher, younger style—haha.
Onto the Chardonnays—the best brackets for me. I had a range of bottles, again looking at value and quality, right up to rare and world-class vineyards.
The Mulline Single Vineyard Sutherland Chardonnay 2023 from Geelong shows beautiful fruit weight and great oak handling—a wine that, at under $60, is a true value pick. The Gaffy and Neal 2023 Merricks North Chardonnay from Mornington, which I’ve raved about for a while now, demonstrates oak use and quality as a testament to their dedication to letting the fruit shine as the main character. Deep Woods Reserve Chardonnay 2023 has been cleaning up the awards scene over the past few months, and it’s a testament to the effort the vineyard team has put into the land. After all, without the land and the viticulture team, we wouldn’t have the juice to drink. It’s lush and rich—it’s so Margaret River—and it’s a wine that will feature in the Chardonnay Challenge 2.0 in 2025.
Stargazer, from the little island of Tasmania, is a powerhouse of flavour. It exhibits a great layer of cool climate fruit without being tart. Its subtle sea breeze aromas lead you down a path of delicacy and intrigue, only to be greeted by a massive amount of flavour and texture. PYCM, a cult-like wine that’s hard to find and even harder to get as a retailer, is one of those producers who make great wine year in and year out. From entry-level bottles all the way to Montrachet Grand Cru, it’s a producer many dream of trying. This is multi-layered, ethereal, and tight. Sunshine-laden fruit and mineral, rocky undertones create what was almost the Wine of the Night—one I wish I had so much more of.
Bouchard Pere et Fils Puligny-Montrachet is a wine with immense depth. It’s rich and opulent, full of nutty and ripe fruit tones. It’s a wine that demands attention due to the detail within it. Montrachet could be the greatest single vineyard site in the world. The Chardonnays coming from this hill are among the most expensive and sought-after bottles globally, and this bottle, at around $200, is a glimpse into what lies beyond.
I love Sydney. The city and wine scene differ from other cities, and it’s what makes each event unique. My quest to bring as many people into the world of wine is well underway. Help me share more great bottles with as many people as possible. Share the love, share the juice.
Wine Animal Out.