Wolf Blass built its name on Australian Chardonnay, and Bilyara is the winery's everyday expression of it: fruit from South Eastern Australia, fermented to keep the peach and melon up front, with a touch of oak for the vanilla and the creamy middle. Medium-bodied, dry, low tannin, and easy to drink at 13.5%.
- Chardonnay, 100%, from South Eastern Australia.
- 2023 vintage, 13.5% alcohol.
- Medium body, medium acidity, dry.
- Peach, melon, citrus, vanilla, creamy texture.
- 750ml bottle.
How it is made
South Eastern Australia is a catch-all appellation, which means the fruit can come from several warm inland regions and be blended to a house style. Chardonnay is picked ripe, fermented cool to hold onto the stone fruit, then given some time with oak for the vanilla note and the soft, rounded mouthfeel.
How it tastes
Peach and melon lead, with a citrus lift through the middle and a vanilla edge from the oak. Medium-bodied and dry, low in tannin, with a clean, soft finish that does not turn buttery or heavy.
Where it comes from
Australia's inland irrigated vineyards, in the riverland and Murray Darling country, produce the bulk of the country's Chardonnay. Warm days and controlled water give ripe fruit and generous flavour, which is why the style reads fuller than a cool-climate Chardonnay from Victoria or Tasmania.
Good to know
Wolf Blass was founded in 1966 by Wolfgang Blass, a German-born winemaker who arrived in Australia with little and went on to become one of the country's most recognised wine names. The Bilyara label takes its name from the Aboriginal word for eaglehawk.
