2016 Stella Bella Chardonnay Margaret River 750 ml

A Chardonnay-Lover’s Must-Buy

The Chardonnay standard-bearers in Margaret River have a reputation for competing with Grand Cru Burgundies at a fraction of the price — think of Leeuwin, Cullen and Moss Wood. But now some of the region’s most venerated producers are at risk of being upstaged themselves. Enter Stella Bella, founded a mere two decades ago. This 2016 Stella Bella Chardonnay Margaret River is on the fast track to Chardonnay greatness, having earned a 95-point score from Australian wine authority James Halliday, who found it “brimming with life and energy.” This impressive score puts Stella Bella on the level of the venerable Aussie producers that made Margaret River a first-look option for those seeking white Burgundy-level quality without Montrachet prices. Given the score-to-price ratio, Stella Bella has proved it belongs among the Chardonnay big leagues the world over. At $25.99 per bottle, it’s a Chardonnay-lover’s must-buy.

“Margaret River's reputation in America rests on Chardonnay,” according to Wine Spectator. There is good reason for that: Year in and year out, no region challenges Burgundy for Chardonnay supremacy in quite the same way as the cool, maritime region in Western Australia. Earlier this year, Jancis Robinson MW praised the white wines of Margaret River, invoking Chardonnay’s most sacred soils in a way that once might have been considered heretical: “The more (white Burgundies) I tried, the more I lusted after the Western Australian alternatives.” Joining the $100 bottlings from Australian legends Leeuwin Estate and Cullen on Robinson’s list of recommended Margaret River Chardonnays was Stella Bella.

Although Stella Bella is relatively young, it does contain some of the area’s most noble DNA: Founder Stuart Pym was the winemaker at Voyager Estate and Devil’s Lair, and Stella Bella viticulturist Steve Martin is an alum of the revered Leeuwin Estate, which, like Stella Bella, is located in the southern part of Margaret River. Since the region ranges over 60 miles from north to south — more than twice the distance covered by Napa Valley — there is substantial variation between the wines produced in the north, and the cooler climes of the south, where Chardonnay thrives.

Stella Bella winemaker Luke Jolliffe attributes his wines’ grace to that southern location, and strives to let the their juicy acidity and energy shine. The 2016 Chardonnay sits at a very Burgundian 12.5% alcohol, and is aged in French oak barrels — of which just 20 percent is new. The result is a supple and vibrant, fresh Halliday 95-pointer for the price of Bourgogne ordinaire. Margaret River is now a must-know region for serious Chardonnay drinkers, and, at $25.99, we can’t think of a wine that makes a better impression than Stella Bella.

— Wine Access Wine Team