The Wine Farm Chardonnay 2020

The Wine

Biodynamic (Demeter Australia Certified)

This is a Chardonnay lover’s Chardonnay that showcases the cool climate of South Gippsland. Pristine fruit from biodynamic vines, fermented naturally, aged in well-seasoned oak barrels and sealed under cork, sees classic Chardonnay flavours shine through with opulence, complexity, texture and length on the palate. 

The Details

It’s all in the name really. The Wine Farm in Koonwarra, South Gippsland, is a vineyard-centric operation, where Neil and Anna Hawkins lovingly tend their 3 hectares of vines according to Demeter biodynamic methods (in conversion). Making varietal wines from pinot noir, shiraz, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot gris and gewürztraminer, as well as a rosé and pét-nat, the style is lithe and mineral forward, with a mission to reflect the land and how it’s farmed in the glass – a feature that is becoming ever clearer as the years pass.

Neil and Anna Hawkins bought South Gippsland’s old Lyre Bird Hill vineyard in 2014, which had been progressively established from 1989 to 1995, with pinot noir, chardonnay, riesling, shiraz, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc, gewürztraminer and cabernet sauvignon planted to 3 hectares of land.

Neil Hawkins had worked as a winemaker around the world, as well as in his native South Africa, where the pair met, before landing in Sydney (Anna’s home), and finally Gippsland. The region neatly fit the bill for the pair’s passion for cool climate varieties, and an established dry-grown vineyard on own roots that was small enough to essentially manage themselves was too good a prospect to pass up.

THE YOUNG GUN OF WINE