THE WINE The 2024 Whitebox Yarra Valley Chardonnay presents a vibrant bouquet of citrus fruits, complemented by delicate floral notes. On the palate, it reveals a refined minerality, layered with flavours of green apple, grapefruit, and stone fruits, all enhanced by a hint of subtle French oak spice. As with our previous vintages, this wine is enjoyable in its youth but will also reward careful cellaring, developing added complexity over time. GRAPE VARIETY Chardonnay OAK MATURATION Light and Medium toast French oak ALCOHOL 13% CLOSURE Screwcap VINEYARDS The fruit for this wine was grown on our family-owned Yarra Valley vineyards in Gruyere and Coldstream. VINTAGE The lead-up to the 2024 vintage was marked by a notably wet start to Summer, followed by an unusually dry late Summer and Autumn. This created a compressed harvest period, with many grape varieties reaching their peak ripeness within a short window. As a result, the grapes developed distinct flavour profiles across our two Yarra Valley vineyards, offering exciting blending opportunities and resulting in wines with complexity and depth. WINEMAKING Our Yarra Valley fruit was harvested at night to preserve its freshness, then immediately pressed off skins. After settling, the juice underwent fermentation at a controlled low temperature in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then aged in smaller vessels, incorporating both low- and medium-toast French oak to build complexity. These parcels were blended prior to bottling, resulting in a wine that balances vibrant varietal fruit with rich, layered depth. SERVE WITH This versatile wine pairs beautifully with “catch of the day”. Other suggestions include Pasta with mushroom garlic and cream, crayfish and tarragon butter, brie and dried apricots or chicken terrine.