Our White Wine of the Year could have gone to no other than the electric 2022 Patrick Sullivan Ada River Chardonnay.
Hailing from the Strzelecki Ranges in the Gippsland region, this exceptional wine reflects Sullivan's mastery of the Chardonnay grape, a culmination of years dedicated to the craft.
The fruit in 2022 from this 40-year-old dry-grown vineyard showcases a perfect balance of ripeness and minerality. Sullivan's focus on volcanic soil imparts remarkable energy and drive in this, his finest wine to date.
With only 30% new oak, dazzling acidity and a freight train of flavour, this scintillating Chardonnay stood out in 2023 as a benchmark in modern Australian winemaking.
There were just 200 dozen made of this beautiful wine and we have just a very small handful of bottles remaining for you to purchase.
Congratulations to Pat on the well-deserved recognition as the White Wine of the Year.
SHOP PATRICK SULLIVAN WINES
97 Points
"A very fine chardonnay indeed, with a great acid line. (200 cases produced)"
- Huon Hooke (The Real Review)
97 points
"This is something else. Electrifying, pure and long. It couples power and elegance, detail and delight, flavour and finesse... Mesmerising."
- Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)
“Ada River holds a pretty special place for me as it was the first vineyard we took on farming in 2016. It has taught me a lot about patience and resilience and the pursuit of making something that is truly unique and heading to a place of class fine wine.
Planted in 1982 by Peter Kelliher with a fine wine aspiration, the vineyard is perched in a magic place that looks upon Mount Baw Baw, and shares the gentle breeze of the adjacent Tarago Reservoir. Deep volcanic soils play a part in the power of the fruit of this wine. The wild days and temperature shifts play part in its complexity.
Were very fortunate to farm this and Australian wine is very fortunate this vineyard exists. No wine was made from this vineyard in 2023, it was simply too cold.”
- Patrick Sullivan on the Ada River Chardonnay