Description
“As said, the value proposition can be a distraction, as Franco D’Anna is making some of the finest chardonnay and pinot noir in the Yarra regardless of price. He’s also excelling with pinot gris and is undoubtedly making this country’s finest renditions of pinot blanc. Hoddles Creek Estate always delivers, and on every level.” Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion, Top 100 Wineries of 2025
“Hoddles Creek have been perhaps as well known for their premium bottlings as they have been for their dazzlingly economical Wickhams Road range, perennially the best-value chardonnay and pinot noir in the market.” Young Gun of Wine
Hoddles Creek Estate was established in 1997 when the D’Anna family decided to establish a vineyard on their Yarra Valley property that has been in the family since 1960. The vineyard sits astride Gembrook road and adjacent Hoddles Creek. Its steeply sloping blocks prohibit mechanical harvesting, with both vineyards being hand pruned and harvested. All their wines, which are single vineyard, estate grown, are made in their 300 tonne winery, constructed for the 2003 vintage. The split-level winery has a barrel store located three meters underground. Hoddles Creek Estate is planted with 10ha of pinot noir (five clones), 6 ha of chardonnay, 1ha each of sauvignon blanc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, and 1.5ha of pinot gris.
From the winemaker about this wine: “Fruit from Gippsland but made in exactly the same manner as the Estate range, this Chardonnay has a purity of fruit and beautiful line of acid. We have managed our Gippsland vineyard since 2011, with a emphasis on balanced vines. The Gippsland climate is similar to Hoddles Creek, hence the juice requires no acidification or fining.”
Franco D’Anna and his team added the Gippsland vineyard to the Estate in 2011. The eight-hectare site is planted solely to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and the vines are 25-plus years old. The team visit the vineyard once a week, tending the vines with the same meticulous care as their Yarra Valley property. Like the home vineyard in the Yarra it is a great site; cool, free draining and during the winter months, the D’Anna family run sheep through the property to manage the weeds and grasses. As always, the fruit was picked by hand in the cool of the morning. The wine spent a short maturation on lees after natural fermentation. This is incredible quality and sophistication for the asking price. In most years, the Gippsland Chardonnay has a slightly more citrus-driven and juicier personality than their Yarra wine.
RRP $23 Our Special Introductory Price $18.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
