2024 Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay

98 pts SUCKLING TOP 100
**MAX 3 BOTTLES PER CUSTOMER - Blistering release of the famous Tolpuddle Chardonnay. A benchmark for cool-climate Chardonnay in this country.

Price:
Sale price$110.00
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Sold out
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Description

Alongside the Pinot Noir, Tolpuddle’s Chardonnay has carved out a place as one of the most coveted white wines in the country. From its windswept site in the Coal River Valley, yields are naturally low – thanks in part to the notorious “hen and chicken” bunches and the relentless valley winds – but what fruit remains is intensely concentrated and characterful.

The 2024 release is every bit as compelling as you’d expect. Citrus and white peach sit at the core, layered with struck match, almond meal and a fine saline edge that speaks directly of its site. The palate is taut and driving, framed by crystalline acidity, yet there’s a creamy, flowing texture that gives the wine its quiet power.

This is Chardonnay that balances precision with depth – made to cellar but irresistible in its youth. Every vintage, Tolpuddle reminds us why Tasmania now sits at the forefront of Australia’s cool-climate Chardonnay story.

98 points - "A smattering of quartzite, white apple flesh, and lemon aspen. Chalk dust and fennel seed. Nutmeg grated into white sauce, ground ginger, and the luxuriousness of triple-cream brie. The acidity dances with light, agile feet across the palate, while new oak is so artfully integrated you find yourself searching for the seams it’s been woven into. This is perhaps the most dialled-back expression of oak on the nose—not from lesser use, but from the way it has been entirely absorbed by the fruit and the wine’s palpable energy. Buoyant and spritely, its mealy mid-palate creaminess is swiftly chased by almond skin and a flicker of sea-flake salinity. A triumphant vintage of Chardonnay, and a testament to the vineyard’s impeccable quality—one that many fortunate visitors can now witness firsthand. This is as exciting as the 2023 but in a way that is more classic Chanel than Alexander McQueen. Drink with roast snapper collars and a squeeze of lemon. Drink now or will cellar for 6-10 years further." - Shanteh Wale (Wine Pilot)

98 points - "Ooh-boy the Tolpuddle Chardonnay is in a good place. I guess you could call this vintage a 'classic'. A little more restraint and line than the '23; a little more filigree and nuance, those flinty/struck-match tones a little further back in the mix and woven through the wine in an intricate pattern. White peach, lemon, grapefruit and nectarine fruits are high fidelity and beautifully poised, suffused with soft spice, clover and grapefruit blossom, crushed stone, cinnamon, a murmur of vanillin oak and spiced poached pear, grilled hazelnuts, crème fraîche and a whisper of onshore breeze. Everything is in sharp relief, with the purest of fruit. It's all detail and tension, with a textural glaze of grapefruit pith and a sapid, mineral line that builds like a crescendo before releasing, finishing long and true. It's a stunner." - Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion)

97 points - "Bright light yellow colour with a whiff or reduction early, which cleared a little to reveal acacia honey, lemon essence and hints of snuffed candle. The wine is precise and refined on the tongue, with great intensity of fruit flavour harmoniously intertwined with refreshing acidity, resulting in a seamless whole that glides very long through the aftertaste. Gorgeous chardonnay, and will be long lived. 06 Aug 2025" - Huon Hooke (The Real Review)

96 points - "Pale colour. Beautiful pure grapefruit, verbena, grilled nut aromas with honey/ marzipan, touch lanolin notes. Pure supple and minerally with fresh grapefruit, lemon curd, marzipan flavors, slippery/ saline notes on the mid-palate and high-pitched crisp acidity. Al dente finish with superb mineral length. Very good volume and richness of flavour while possessing tension and vigour. Should age beautifully well if one dares to wait." - Andrew Caillard MW (The Vintage Journal)

95 points - "Flint, the main thing here. A struck match and steely mineral combo from first whiff through to last, cool and crisp finish. Smoky, stony things throughout the wine, a cool, bright flavour profile too, quite delicate, lemon-lime, Japanese pickled ginger, tart, green apple juice and some faint, cedar and a cooling tonic water edge to the wine. Crystalline texture, glassy and bright, a crunch to texture too that feels pleasing. It has all the right moves for a wine detailed by edifice of flint and winemaking approach. It should win a lot of friends in this en vogue style, done well." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

Customer Reviews

Based on 7 reviews
86%
(6)
14%
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A
ADAM R.
Up there with the best Australian chardonnays

Lovely balance of acidity and minerality with a nice touch shortbread flavour. This wine has a great future.

L
Lorant S.
Delicious and sophisticated

There is a reason why this wine sells out so quickly. Consistently great. Nice lean minerally and subtle. Classic fresh cool climate Chardonnay

S
Sang J.
Good Chardonnay

Good Chardonnay, one of the stars in Tasmania. I personally prefer 2018 vintage though

K
Kieran D.
Top 2 Chardonnay’s of the year

This was a pleasure to drink. Putting tolpuddle and tassie chard into some serious conversations at the top end of the Aussie market. Rivals some of Margaret rivers best. Strong buy recommendation!

n
nicholas b.
Sumptuous chardy!

Wonderful wine. Oozes flavour.

Price Bracket $101 and Above
Type White
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Chardonnay
Country Australia
Region Tasmania
Australian State TAS
Feature High Score
Reviewed By The Real Review
Halliday Wine Companion
Wine Pilot
Wine Front
The Vintage Journal
Critic Score 98
Size 750ml
Vintage 2024
Closure Screw Cap

Tolpuddle

On an expedition to Tasmania in 2011, Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW purchased a stunning vineyard in the Coal River Valley which they thought had the potential to make some of the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the region.

Tolpuddle is now one of Tasmania’s most talked about vineyards, producing wines of blistering precision and finesse which have received rave critical acclaim.

They are highly sought-after and are some of the finest examples of these varieties that can be found anywhere on the Apple Isle. These are premium wines that should be savoured.

Tolpuddle founders Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith Tolpuddle

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