Description
Ashton Hills is a three hectare vineyard that lies in the Piccadilly Valley sub region of the Adelaide Hills on a ridge just below the summit of Mount Lofty. The estate was founded by Stephen George in 1982 and since that time it has built a reputation as one of Australia’s finest proponents of pinot noir and cool climate whites including chardonnay.
For over 30 years Stephen experimented with up to 25 pinot noir clones, ultimately settling on five key clones that now make the acclaimed Reserve and Estate Pinot Noirs from Ashton Hills, plus a range of awarded sparkling wines and chardonnay.
Stephen George wore two winemakers’ hats … one for his Ashton Hills wines, the other for the iconic Wendouree wines in Clare. He refered to his dry grown Piccadilly Valley vineyard as the “Burgundy of the Adelaide Hills” and his “garden”. Stephen is one of Australia’s most highly respected winemaking viticulturalists and a pioneer of Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir. The result is sublime pinot noir.. unfortunately in minuscule quantities!
Stephen has now taken a step back into semi-retirement to spend more time travelling to his beloved Burgundy, and has transferred his stake in Ashton Hills to Wirra Wirra Vineyards, with its pedigree in cool climate Adelaide Hills whites and quality McLaren Vale reds. Nonetheless, he continues to reside at his home at the winery and works closely at vintage with the Wirra Wirra winemaking team to continue the tradition of producing benchmark wines from the Ashton Hills site.
“The Ashton Hills winery will always be the heart and soul of the Adelaide Hills wine region. Founder Stephen George set all the benchmarks; his relentless pursuit of myriad grape clones and varieties laid the foundation for the thriving region of today. Ashton Hills has been owned by Wirra Wirra since 2015, though it speaks volumes that Stephen still lives on the property and remains involved in its operation. This has been the most respectful of handovers, best proven by the steady and continued stream of top-tier releases.” Campbell Mattinson for Halliday Wine Companion
About this wine and vintage from the winemakers: “This Chardonnay is sourced exclusively from the Piccadilly Valley sub-region of the Adelaide Hills, home of Ashton Hills. The Piccadilly Valley is the coldest and wettest part of the region, ideal growing conditions for Chardonnay. Ferment was sparked by indigenous yeasts and the wine matured in a combination of new and used French oak for nine months.
“The Piccadilly Valley was impacted by cool weather during flowering, resulting in reduced volumes for the 2024 vintage. A wetter than average December and January made way for a warm and dry February with excellent conditions for ripening. The pristine fruit was hand harvested in the first week of March 2024.
“Aromatics of yellow stone fruits and green melon atop Greek yoghurt with flashes of preserved lemon, subtle florals and fresh honeycomb. Flavours of white nectarine and yellow peach entwine with green mango, creating an alluring fruit profile. The textural creamy palate is balanced with a crisp and focused acid line to provide a long and seamless finish. The wine will drink well upon release and reward careful cellaring for five years or more. 13% alc.”
GOLD – 2025 ADELAIDE HILLS WINE SHOW.
95 points, Ryan Montgomery, JamesSuckling.com “A restrained wine with aromas of grilled lemons, flint, grapefruit, crushed stones and gun smoke. The palate is precise and pure, with a mid-weighted mouthfeel and fine acidity. There’s nice balance of fruit density and minerals, finishing with a saline edge and high tension. Delicious.”
93 points, Angus Hughson, Vinous Media “The 2024 Chardonnay Piccadilly Valley ripples with spiced pear and grapefruit aromas, lifted by significant oak laced with gunflint reduction. Excellent underlying tension, thanks to finely balanced, mouthwatering acidity, drives a strong and youthful finish. A keeper that will offer plenty in the years to come.”
93 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review “Light yellow with smoky reductive and oak aromas at first sniff, the palate intense in grapefuit and spice flavours. A totally delicious chardonnay with some generosity to it as well as finesse. Refined and linear with a persistent finish. Yum!”
93 points, Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion “Bright and fresh, clean and lively. A pure-feeling chardonnay with gentle influence of nougat and cinnamon oak characters amongst red apple, green mango, lemon curd and nashi pear fruit characters. Right on. Shy of medium weight, a little crispness and yet pleasing haziness to texture, the finish a twist of pink grapefruit freshness. Great drink”
RRP $53 Our Special Price $39.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
