{"id":55471,"date":"2026-07-21T23:08:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T23:08:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/55471\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T23:08:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T23:08:48","slug":"the-australian-wine-club-chardonnay-at-a-great-price","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/55471\/","title":{"rendered":"The Australian Wine Club: chardonnay at a great price"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australian winemaking has been built on the doers rather than those who just talked. These are the people who created opportunities, created their own luck and created history.<\/p>\n

Vigneron Geoff Hardy fits neatly into this category. The fifth-generation descendant of Australian wine pioneer Thomas Hardy had an idea back in the 1980s: to find the perfect spot in the Adelaide Hills to grow cooler-climate varietals, especially chardonnay and pinot noir.<\/p>\n

Geoff\u2019s shopping list was deceptively simple: a northeast-facing block, level-ish soil and some morning sun to dry the vines off. Oh, and at a certain altitude, to keep the temperatures at the cooler end of the spectrum, and fairly close to his existing vineyard in McLaren Vale.<\/p>\n

But having looked for several years without success, Geoff made his own luck. Identifying the perfect property from maps and the naked eye, he headed to the land registry to understand its boundaries and finally knocked on the door of the owner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d been looking, for about six or seven years, for properties that would be very correct for the purpose of growing chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot, close to the McLaren Vale,\u201d Geoff tells us of his odyssey 40 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t exactly have a brimming purse at the time, but the numbers just worked out \u2026 so I went and knocked on the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Happenstance meant the dairy farmer who owned the block was looking to divest some of it \u2013 and so began the story of a vineyard whose first vintages went into some of Australia\u2019s best-known chardonnays, but quickly established a reputation of their own.<\/p>\n

That vineyard, eventually known as K1 from growing the first commercial grapes in the Kuitpo region, has twice been named Australian Winery of the Year, and also awarded five stars by James Halliday.<\/p>\n

Those decades of garlanded quality are partly why we\u2019re so happy to have the 2022 K1 by Geoff Hardy Reserve Adelaide Hills Chardonnay <\/a>(usually with a recommended retail price of $70) as part of this week\u2019s special offer case from The Australian Wine Club, an all-chardy lineup with a startling discount.<\/p>\n

Also featured are the 2024 Leogate Vicki\u2019s Choice Hunter Valley Chardonnay (RRP $70) and given 95 points by the Halliday Wine Companion, the 2025 Stonehaven Reserve Padthaway Chardonnay (RRP $80) and given 96 points by Wine Pilot, and finally the 2024 Bleasdale Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, scoring 92 points from the Halliday team. While stocks last, a mixed case of the four wines will set you back just $27.99 a bottle \u2013 a discount of almost 57 per cent.<\/p>\n

Geoff remembers the special conditions that 2022 delivered, with a wet winter, warm spring and dry summer conspiring to great effect.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously every year has its different idiosyncrasies and climate effects, and 2022 was a little bit cooler than 2024 or 2023, when we didn\u2019t even do a reserve,\u201d he tells us.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reserve has to be the best of years for us first, so it ripens with really good acid and there is the right canopy, in my mind, to give us the right flavour. The 2022 came up to scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n

K1 by Geoff Hardy Reserve Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2022<\/a><\/p>\n

A wine such as this reminds us why appreciating the aromas is so important. It\u2019s the sheer complexity of flavours \u2013 think oak, vanilla, cedar, lemon, straw and nuttiness \u2013 that makes the first sip even more powerful. The palate duly delivers, brimming with intense fruit, ripe mandarin, creamy vanilla and nougat, and beautifully balanced by the acidity. Wonderful. 95 points, Winepilot. 13.2% alc; RRP $70 a bottle.<\/p>\n

SPECIALS <\/a>$63.99 a bottle in any mixed dozen; $27.99 a bottle in Chardonnay dozen. <\/a><\/p>\n

Leogate Vicki\u2019s Choice Hunter Valley Chardonnay 2023<\/a><\/p>\n

The dictionary definition of elegant might look something like this \u2013 a refined nose of honey, lemon posset, flint and almond is a wonderful segue into a palate of amazing complexity. Expect lemon curd, grapefruit pith, oak spice and clove, all of it delicate and well-balanced from the acid. 13.5% alc, RRP $70 a bottle.<\/p>\n

SPECIALS <\/a>$65.99 a bottle in any mixed dozen; $27.99 a bottle in Chardonnay dozen. <\/a><\/p>\n

Stonehaven Reserve Padthaway Chardonnay 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a richness here from nose to palate \u2013 nectarine and stone fruit jump out of the glass upfront, followed by sweet spice, notes of white flowers and vanilla. The creamy texture in the mouth is soaked in melon, stone fruit and lemon citrus. Fresh acid keeps everything in perfect balance. 13% alc, RRP $80 a bottle.<\/p>\n

SPECIALS<\/a> $69.99 a bottle in any mixed dozen; $27.99 a bottle in Chardonnay dozen. <\/a><\/p>\n

Bleasdale Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2024<\/a><\/p>\n

The nose offers such a beguiling mix of mandarin peel, sweet ginger spice, honeydew melon and peach, before a creamy palate delivers grapefruit pith, charred pineapple and butterscotch with a lovely mouth feel. Once again it\u2019s the acid that plays conductor, keeping it all together nicely into a long, rewarding finish. 12.5% alc, RRP $39 a bottle.<\/p>\n

SPECIALS<\/a> $34.99 a bottle in any mixed dozen; $27.99 a bottle in Chardonnay dozen. <\/a><\/p>\n

CHARDONNAY DOZEN<\/a> Three bottles of each wine above for $27.99. <\/a>SAVE <\/a>$441.<\/a><\/p>\n

Order online or phone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST and quote \u2018ACVQ\u2019. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.<\/p>\n

Read related topics:Climate Change<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australian winemaking has been built on the doers rather than those who just talked. 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