2021 Brown Hill Estate Chardonnay Golden Horseshoe Margaret River 750 ml

In October 2022, Decanter convened a three-judge panel to assess a bevy of Chardonnays from Australia’s Margaret River. It was no wonder why: this “world class cool-climate region,” as Vinous called it, has made its name on wines like Leeuwin Estate’s revered Art Series—bottles that challenge the best in the world.

The judges tasted over five dozen Chardonnays from across multiple vintages. At the end, the 2021 Brown Hill Golden Horseshoe stood at the top, above icons like Xanadu and Vasse Felix—and even the Leeuwin Art Series.

The best bottle from a region that consistently overdelivers: There’s no doubt that this is one of the greatest Chardonnay values you’ll find. “Beautifully reined-in, purity in motion,” wrote Decanter’s critics in their 96-point review. “The palate is pure class, and effortlessly long. Superb.” 

Located in the far southwestern corner of Australia, Brown Hill is a small-production mom-and-pop shop run by a fourth-generation winemaking family. Every vine on their 60 acres of land is hand-harvested, they use 100% estate fruit, and they do everything the hard way—and the right way.

The Golden Horseshoe is Exhibit A showing why Chardonnays from this New World region are so often compared to the weighty, statuesque whites out of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or.

Pronounced aromas of petrichor, fresh yellow and white peaches, and honeysuckle peeled off the nose, and the palate was elegant and lifted, with all-encompassing acidity and a gorgeous, floral-and-fruit finish that suggested hidden layers of nuance that will reveal themselves over time. Vinous praised this 2021 release as “immediately enticing” with a “delightfully fresh and vibrant palate.”

This is a thrilling, best-in-class release that brings value and quality in a way we RARELY see.