Bellvale South Gippsland Chardonnay 2025

The 2025 acquisition of Bellvale by the owners of Port Phillip Estate/Kooyong, further highlights the huge potential of quality, cool climate South Gippsland wine, in particular Chardonnay. This complex youngster with its combination of tantalising acidity and structure should age well – a good sign – but in the meantime, it’s all about the bright mix of ripe fruit and some mighty smart oak. The bouquet highlights struck match, biscuit, stone fruits and citrus with an attractive hazelnut nuttiness. The palate carries citrus, lime zest and stone fruit flavours layered between a gentle toastiness, hazelnut and dusting of spice before leading deeper into a warm and textural middle palate with a nutty twist through the finish. Juicy, ripe fruited now with excellent potential for further ageing.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic