2023 Garagiste Merricks Chardonnay

Highly Rated
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
1 Review

Price:
Sale price$49.00
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In stock, ready to ship
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Description

The Merricks Chardonnay is the most sought-after of the Garagiste white wines... And it's the most powerful of Barney's Chardonnays, the kind of wine that blows your hair back.

The fruit from Merricks comes in ripe but balanced and incredibly intense - the perfect raw materials for Barney to strut his Chardy-making stuff.

Barney is one of the finest Chardonnay makers in the region and this release is bang on.

If you're yet to try Barney's wines, prepare to have your world rocked by this boutique artisanal producer. Chardy fans, get in quick!

96 points
"I’d like to be at lunch drinking this with friends explaining to them how good Aussie chardonnay is, but I could say nothing and pour instead. They’re bound to be mesmerised by the complexity and perfect balance of stone fruit and citrus, ginger, woodsy spices and subtle oak. A skein of minerally acidity matches the finely tuned palate and leaves me hankering for more."
- Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points
"Woah this is so intense, it’s kind of like staring at the sun. It bursts with lime, grapefruit, green melon and nectarine (that just about covers it), has some salty pastry dough, and a little cinnamon. It’s very flinty and tight, but there’s also an explosion of flavour, and the finish is very long, saline and chalky textured. Quite a wine."
- Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

96 points - "I’d like to be at lunch drinking this with friends explaining to them how good Aussie chardonnay is, but I could say nothing and pour instead. They’re bound to be mesmerised by the complexity and perfect balance of stone fruit and citrus, ginger, woodsy spices and subtle oak. A skein of minerally acidity matches the finely tuned palate and leaves me hankering for more." -
Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)

95 points - "Woah this is so intense, it’s kind of like staring at the sun. It bursts with lime, grapefruit, green melon and nectarine (that just about covers it), has some salty pastry dough, and a little cinnamon. It’s very flinty and tight, but there’s also an explosion of flavour, and the finish is very long, saline and chalky textured. Quite a wine." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 1 review
Total 5 star reviews: 1 Total 4 star reviews: 0 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
1 review
  • B
    BP
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    So good

    Love all of their wines.

Reviews LoadedReviews Added

The Merricks Chardonnay, from 27-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 whole bunches. Fermentation was spontaneous with high levels of solids in 500-litre François Frères puncheons. A small portion went through natural malolactic conversion, and the wine rested on full gross lees for nine months before bottling. Barney seeks slow and long lees interaction, choosing extended, gentle contact over stirring. He has now entirely shifted his Chardonnay vinification to thick-stave, large-format wood, with new oak playing an increasingly limited role. “I see a slower evolution with the thicker staves,” he told us. “Things are more subtle, and it allows me to get closer to my ideal style.”

It’s a knockout: punchy, pure, intensely flavoured and wildly delicious, with serious horsepower impressively contained. This is a Chardonnay of great pedigree and substance, and as good a Merricks as we have tasted (with all this entails). Another don’t-miss.

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
95
Alcohol 13%
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Screw Cap

Garagiste Wines

The Garagiste wines by Barnaby Flanders are a masterclass in small-batch excellence from Mornington Peninsula. Driven by a passion for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Flanders delves into the peninsula’s sub-regions, harnessing subtle variations in soil and aspect to craft wines of remarkable character.

Since launching in 2006, Garagiste has become a Victorian standout, celebrated for single-site, sub-regional expressions. From Tuerong’s sandy soils to Main Ridge’s rich volcanic earth, Flanders sources responsibly farmed parcels to shape his distinctive wines.

Central to the Garagiste story is Merricks Grove vineyard, where Flanders’ winemaking journey began in 2000. His hands-on approach ensures every detail, from vineyard management to cellar work, delivers wines of precision and nuance. The philosophy is all about balance: picking for acidity, whole bunch pressing for Chardonnay, and natural ferments with restrained oak use. The result? Elegant, complex wines that rank among the peninsula’s finest.

Together with partner Cam, Flanders produces both Garagiste’s cool-climate flagship wines and the superb-value Le Stagiaire range. Whether it’s their textured Pinots or taut Chardonnays, these wines embody the craftsmanship of one of Mornington’s best.

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