2024 Garagiste Merricks Chardonnay
2024 Garagiste Merricks Chardonnay

2024 Garagiste Merricks Chardonnay

96 pts
Garagiste |Mornington Peninsula |Chardonnay
Singing release of this single-site Mornington Chardonnay from Garagiste. Powerful, flamboyant - great Chardonnay for the flavour hounds.
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
2 Reviews
Price:
$49.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
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Description

This is Barney Flanders in top form. The 2024 Merricks Chardonnay is powerful, textural and crackling with energy - arguably the most complete white he’s bottled to date.

From his 28-year-old vineyard on the grey loams and red ferrosols of Merricks, this is the boldest of the Garagiste Chardonnays. But don’t expect bluster. Barney has long chased finesse over flash, and that vision continues to sharpen. Picked by hand and pressed as whole bunches, the juice was fermented with plenty of solids in large, seasoned puncheons, then aged on gross lees for 10 months without stirring. Just 15% new oak was used this year - the fruit the star of the show.

The 2024 Merricks is a Chardonnay of serious intent. There’s ripe peach and yellow citrus, backed by a chalky phenolic drive, a lick of struck match, and mouth-watering acidity carrying it all through. It’s layered and long, with a kind of effortless density that lingers well after the last sip.

This is Barney’s 20th vintage farming the Merricks site, and it shows. The 2024 is a wine of real shape and substance, maybe a little less showy than some previous years, but perhaps a little more complete on release. 

96 points
"Now this has all the right moves, well flavour anyway. Meyer lemon and grapefruit and flinty sulphides. Cedary, spicy oak adds flavour not weight while creamy, luscious lees expand across the palate, adding a moreish note. Then superfine acidity comes in to steal the show. Such a good drink." 
- Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)

96 points
"My word, this wine sizzles... It’s chalky and flinty, and in particular, the length of it is outstanding, closing with a little quinine bite. Well butter me both sides Barney, this is a beauty."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Jane Faulkner

Jane Faulkner

Halliday Wine Companion 96 Points

Now this has all the right moves, well flavour anyway. Meyer lemon and grapefruit and flinty sulphides. Cedary, spicy oak adds flavour not weight while creamy, luscious lees expand across the palate, adding a moreish note. Then superfine acidity comes in to steal the show. Such a good drink.

Gary Walsh

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front 96 Points

My word, this wine sizzles. Grapefruit, lemon and lime rind, nectarine, almond meal, a little struck match and spice. It’s saline and savoury, yes, with a little umami goodness, but also has a bright core of mixed citrus and stone fruits on the cusp of ripeness. It’s chalky and flinty, and in particular, the length of it is outstanding, closing with a little quinine bite. Well butter me both sides Barney, this is a beauty.

96 points - "Now this has all the right moves, well flavour anyway. Meyer lemon and grapefruit and flinty sulphides. Cedary, spicy oak adds flavour not weight while creamy, luscious lees expand across the palate, adding a moreish note. Then superfine acidity comes in to steal the show. Such a good drink." - Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)

96 points - "My word, this wine sizzles. Grapefruit, lemon and lime rind, nectarine, almond meal, a little struck match and spice. It’s saline and savoury, yes, with a little umami goodness, but also has a bright core of mixed citrus and stone fruits on the cusp of ripeness. It’s chalky and flinty, and in particular, the length of it is outstanding, closing with a little quinine bite. Well butter me both sides Barney, this is a beauty." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 2 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 2 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
2 reviews
  • NF
    Neil F.
    Verified Buyer
    3 minutes ago
    Reviewing
    2024 Garagiste Merricks Chardonnay
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Outstanding

    Wonderful drink and will only get better with a couple of years.

    Cheers

    Was this helpful?
  • B
    BP
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    4 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    Reviewing
    2023 Garagiste Merricks Chardonnay
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    So good

    Love all of their wines.

    Was this helpful?

The Merricks Chardonnay, from 28-year-old vines on soils of grey loams and red ferrosols on south- and southeast-facing slopes, was harvested and sorted by hand before being pressed as bunches. Fermentation was spontaneous with high levels of solids in 500-litre François Frères puncheons. A small portion went through natural malolactic fermentation, and the wine rested in large-format barrels (15% new) on full gross lees for 10 months before bottling. Barney seeks long, slow lees interaction, choosing extended, gentle contact over stirring, a process writ large in the supple, integrated texture of his recent releases.

This is a home run: pithy, punchy and pure with serious revs under the bonnet. Expect stone fruits, juicy citrus and well-pitched richness allied to deliciously chewy texture, spine-tingling acidity and big, fleshy presence. As always, a Chardonnay of pedigree, class and substance, and a high-water mark for Garagiste’s Chardonnay.

Price Bracket $51 to $100
Type White
Body Full Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Australia
Region Mornington Peninsula
Australian State VIC
Feature High Score
Reviewed By Halliday Wine Companion
The Wine Front
Critic Score 96
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
Closure Screw Cap

Garagiste Wines

Garagiste is the project of Barnaby Flanders, one of the most respected names in Mornington Peninsula wine. Since launching in 2006, Flanders has focused on making serious, small-batch Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that reflect the distinct sub-regions of the Peninsula.

He started out at Merricks Grove in 2000 and still sources from that vineyard today, alongside parcels from places like Tuerong, Balnarring and Main Ridge. Each site brings something different - whether it’s the sandy soils of the north or the higher, cooler slopes in the south - and Flanders leans into those differences rather than smoothing them out.

His approach is minimal but exacting. Chardonnay is whole-bunch pressed, fermented with wild yeasts, and sees restrained oak. Pinot Noir is all about balance - picked for freshness, made with a light touch, and bottled without excess. The wines are clean, detailed, and built to age, but they’re also approachable from the outset.

Together with winemaker and business partner Cam Marshall, Flanders also makes the Le Stagiaire range - a more accessible price point that offers legitimately some of the best value Pinot Noir & Chardonnay in Australia that still carries the same regional clarity and intent. Across both labels, the focus is sharp: site expression, thoughtful farming, and no shortcuts. Garagiste remains one of the benchmark producers in Mornington. If you want to understand what makes this region special, this is a very good place to start.

Winemaker Barney Flanders Discover Garagiste Wines

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