Taste 13 of Handpicked highest awarded & best reviewed Chardonnays & Pinots…
The accolades count 9 Trophies, 9 Gold & 2 Top Gold Medals from just 6 wines.
Winner of Best of Region Trophy at last year’s edition of the Australian Pinot Noir Challenge – and for the 3rd year in a row…
Triple Halliday Trophy Win ‘Best of Region’ Yarra Valley, Tasmania & Mornington Peninsula at Halliday Chardonnay Challenge 2024
(a feat that has never been achieved before in the competition’s history)
Handpicked Wines also have a significant but little known WA footprint. They currently have 7 Margaret River Cabernet dominant or Merlots wines on the market, ranging from $29 to $400 RRP
Hosted by Chief Winemaker Peter Dillon
Masterclass: 5:30-7pm, 13 Wines with Nibbles, $50
Dinner: 7.30pm, 13 Wines & 4 Courses, $95
Monday October 7th
Recent Awards & Accolades:
Collection Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2022
Trophy Winner – “Yarra Valley Best Chardonnay”,
- James Halliday Australian Chardonnay Challenge 2024
Top Gold & 96 points - James Halliday Australian Chardonnay Challenge 2024
Collection Tasmania Chardonnay 2022
Trophy Winner – “Best Chardonnay”, Tasmanian Wine Show 2024
Trophy Winner – “Tasmania Best Chardonnay”,
- James Halliday Australian Chardonnay Challenge 2024
Top Gold & 96 points - James Halliday Australian Chardonnay Challenge 2024
Single Vineyard Wombat Creek Chardonnay 2022
Trophy Winner – “Best Victorian Chardonnay”, Melbourne Royal Wine Awards 2023
Trophy Winner – “Best Australian Chardonnay”, Melbourne Royal Wine Awards 2023
Trophy Winner – “Best Young White Wine”, Melbourne Royal Wine Awards 2023
Gold - Melbourne Royal Wine Awards 2023
Single Vineyard Capella Chardonnay 2021
Gold - Royal Queensland Wine Awards 2023
Gold - Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2022
Gold - James Halliday Chardonnay & Cabernets Challenge 2022
Collection Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2021
Trophy Winner - “Best of Region”, Australian Pinot Noir Challenge 2022
Gold - Royal Queensland Wine Awards 2023
Single vineyard Capella Pinot Noir 2021, Our Price $81
Trophy Winner - “Best Pinot Noir Mornington Peninsula Wine Show 2022
Trophy Winner - “Best Pinot Noir”, Australian Pinot Noir Challenge 2022
Gold - Australian Pinot Noir Challenge 2022
Gold - Mornington Peninsula Wine Show 2022
Gold - Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2022
Gold - Sidney Royal Wine Show 2022
The Wine List & Menu
1st Course
Regional Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2022, Our Price $25
There's some struck match reduction at first sniff, and a good lick of toasted coconut oak, but with quick aeration it also offers aromas of cantaloupe, grapefruit rind, wild fennel and a metallic, wet-stone character. There's lovely crystalline acidity on the palate that brightens the softly creamy texture. The oak is better tucked here, letting the fruit do the talking.
92 Points Christina Pickard, Wine Enthusiast (July 2024)
Collection Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2022, Our Price $44
Trophy Winner – “Yarra Valley Best Chardonnay”, James Halliday Australian Chardonnay Challenge 2024
Top Gold & 96 points - James Halliday Australian Chardonnay Challenge 2024
Collection Tasmania Chardonnay 2022, Our Price $44
Trophy Winner – “Best Chardonnay”, Tasmanian Wine Show 2024
Trophy Winner – “Tasmania Best Chardonnay”, James Halliday Australian Chardonnay Challenge 2024
Top Gold & 96 points - James Halliday Australian Chardonnay Challenge 2024
2nd Course
Single Vineyard Highbow Hill Chardonnay 2020, Our Price $61
Single Vineyard Highbow Hill Chardonnay 2022, Our Price $61
Single Vineyard Wombat Creek Chardonnay 2020, Our Price $61
An intense and electrifying wine thanks to its overt acidity, yet the power of fruit can hold its own. It’s also flinty, smoky, loaded with grapefruit and lemon juice plus zest, with toasty oak that’s well integrated. It’s youthful and still in its high-energy phase, a bit more time in bottle will allow some mellowing. Of course, plenty will go for the style immediately as it’s super-refreshing.
95 Points Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion (July 2022)
Single Vineyard Wombat Creek Chardonnay 2022, Our Price $61
Trophy Winner – “Best Victorian Chardonnay”, Melbourne Royal Wine Awards 2023
Trophy Winner – “Best Australian Chardonnay”, Melbourne Royal
Wine Awards 2023
Trophy Winner – “Best Young White Wine”, Melbourne Royal Wine Awards 2023
Gold - Melbourne Royal Wine Awards 2023
Single Vineyard Capella Chardonnay 2021, Our Price $81
Gold - Royal Queensland Wine Awards 2023
Gold - Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2022
Gold - James Halliday Chardonnay & Cabernets Challenge 2022
It’s textured with a more grapefruit roasted almond character. There’s a slightly nutty nougat character in the palate with a little oatmeal cereal influence. Has a dry savoury minerality on the finish. The savoury influence shows through with a trace of varietal popcorn.
96 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
'Pale colour. Grapefruit, tonic water, saline aromas with grilled nut notes. Well balanced wine with lovely pure grapefruit, nectarine flavours, fine loose knit chalky textures, very good mid-palate volume, a touch of viscosity and fresh integrated acidity. Finishes long and bittersweet. Classical style with mouth-watering freshness.
95 Points Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal
3rd Course
Regional Yarra Valley Pinot Noir 2023, Our Price $25
Collection Tasmanian Pinot Noir 2020, Our Price $52
Collection Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2021, Our Price $52
Trophy Winner - “Best of Region”, Australian Pinot Noir Challenge 2022
Gold - Royal Queensland Wine Awards 2023
95 Points Andrew Graham
94 Points Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal
Gorgeous texture and fruit vibrancy with a fine chalky tannin thread and perfectly weighted oak…there is a beautiful elegance and freshness here that extends through to a long vibrant finish. Largely from this site but some from a small lease vineyard. This was a very good season in Mornington. Fresh and bright with supple fleshy palate.
95 Points Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com
4th Course
Single Vineyard Auburn Road Tasmanian Pinot Noir 2021, Our Price $81
A lovely garnet hue to start, heady aromas of florals and spice then an explosion of flavour on the full-bodied palate. Dark cherries, squishy raspberries, fine oak spice, orange peel and rhubarb combine as one complex flavour profile. With firm tannins and refreshing acidity, this will hang around well for a number of years hence.
95 Points Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion (August 2023)
Bright full red-purple hue; bright five-spice and red fruits, raspberry, a little violet and a hint of root vegetables. Some oak is noted. In the mouth it's firm and medium-full in weight with a lasting grip and a trace of austerity. Time needed here. It's bold and full of potential.
93 Points Huon Hooke, The Real Review (January 2023)
Single vineyard Capella Pinot Noir 2021, Our Price $81
Trophy Winner - “Best Pinot Noir Mornington Peninsula Wine Show 2022
Trophy Winner - “Best Pinot Noir”, Australian Pinot Noir Challenge 2022
Gold - Australian Pinot Noir Challenge 2022
Gold - Mornington Peninsula Wine Show 2022
Gold - Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2022
Gold - Sidney Royal Wine Show 2022
Medium deep crimson. Intense strawberry pastille, black cherry, hint flinty aromas with underlying marzipan/ vanilla notes. Fresh supple and classic in structure with ample strawberry pastille, black cherry, Campari fruits, a hint of graphite, fine loose knit chalky tannins and well balanced marzipan oak notes. Finishes minerally and long.
96 Points Andrew Caillard MW, The Vintage Journal
