2024 A. Rodda Smith's Vineyard Beechworth Chardonnay

97 pts
The definitive flagship from Adrian Rodda and a Beechworth benchmark, this 2024 Smith's Vineyard release captures all the power of a cracking vintage and the structural grit of these iconic granitic soils.

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Sale price$89.00
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Description

Adrian Rodda has a real knack for Beechworth Chardonnay, and the Smith Vineyard is the heart of it all. This site sits at 550 metres on granitic soils, which always gives the fruit a serious backbone. While he makes a few different expressions of Chardy, this has evolved into Adrian’s flagship wine.

We sat down to taste through the new lineup last week and the whole set of 2024's legitimately blew us away. It was a fantastic vintage in Beechworth, and you can really feel that extra level of power and concentration in the glass.

It’s a bit of a sleeper at first, so give it some air to move. It starts with hints of flint, nutmeg, and fennel before opening up into white nectarine and citrus peel.  The palate has heaps of stuffing but stays incredibly poised. You get that lovely mealy, nutty complexity through the middle, held together by a fresh, citrusy drive. The persistence and length is super impressive.

This is world-class Chardonnay that shows exactly why Adrian is at the top of his game right now.

97 points
"This is a brilliant chardonnay that delivers its greatness with ease and calm"
- Gabrielle Poy (The Real Review)

97 points - "A bit of a sleeper at first, with airy notes of flint, nutmeg and fennel coming to the fore. With a little more nudging, spiced stone-fruits and earthy wafts of fresh moss appear. The core exudes a quiet confidence, anchored by stone-fruits layered with flint, white button mushroom and sweet spices. It’s been handled with great care and judicious winemaking lets the fruit take centre stage, although pockets of complexity arise. This is a brilliant chardonnay that delivers its greatness with ease and calm." – Gabrielle Poy (The Real Review)

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews

Based on 1 review
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Daryl A.
Rodda Smith Chardy

This Chardonnay is delicious. Has an almost Burgundian quality to it.

A quietly expressive bouquet of lemon pith, grapefruit peel and white nectarine is edged with flint and nutmeg, with hints of quince and gentle biscuity oak. The palate is poised and assured: stone fruit at its core, framed by granitic minerality and bright citrus acidity. A silky texture carries mealy, nutty complexity, finishing long and precise with a line of grapefruit pith.

The Smiths Vineyard of Beechworth was planted in 1978 to four different blocks of Chardonnay. One of these four blocks is referred to as the ‘Triangle Block’ due to its decreasing row lengths resulting in a “triangular” shape to the planted area.

Facing South-East and consisting of just 183 vines, this block consistently produces Chardonnay of the highest quality. In the best growing seasons, the resulting wine is elevated to a level worthy of a premium single block release.

The fruit was whole-bunch pressed to oak without clarification or racking for non-temperature controlled fermentation. Upon completion of fermentation, the wine was immediately sulphured to preserve freshness and acidity and rested on lees for 12 months. The wine was transferred to older oak for a further four months prior to bottling.

2024 harvest date: 28th February
Bottled: 6th June 2025

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type White
Body Full Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Australia
Region Beechworth
Australian State VIC
Reviewed By The Real Review
Critic Score 97
Alcohol 13%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
Closure Screw Cap

A. Rodda

Adrian's Beechworth-based winery is essentially a one-man operation with some help from acclaimed viticulturist, Mark Walpole.

What started as a hobby has ballooned into a full-time obsession and he has garnered some huge praise for his classic yet energetic wines.

With a wealth of experience gained under the top-notch tutelage of Yarra Valley superstar winemaker, Dave Bicknell, Adrian is one of the true stars of North East Victorian Wine.

Chardonnay (of course) is his main focus, showcasing a regional series from Beechworth, the Yarra Valley & the Whitlands but he also tackles Cabernet blends & Tempranillo with aplomb.

Winemaker Adrian Rodda A. Rodda

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