2024 Stargazer Chardonnay

Founded by winemaker Samantha Connew, Stargazer has become one of Tasmania's most compelling small producers, crafting wines of precision and quiet intensity from the Coal River and Derwent Valleys. Whether Riesling, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, each release reflects a meticulous, hands-off approach and a focus on texture, energy and site expression. For many, Stargazer marks the sweet spot between refinement and individuality in modern Tasmanian wine.

The 2024 Chardonnay is again a blend of their own vineyard, Palisander, planted in 2017 on a south-facing plot, along with select parcels from growers in the Upper Derwent Valley and Richmond. The grapes were hand-picked and pressed directly into 500L French oak barrels (with 20% being new), where they underwent wild fermentation and full malolactic conversion. The wine matured on lees in these barrels for eight months before being transferred, racked, and blended in a tank for an additional six weeks prior to bottling.

Other Reviews....
The 2024 Chardonnay is tightly composed, nutty, salty and long, with lashings of stone fruit and exotic spice on the mid-palate. The wine is polished and glossy, sophisticated and seamless, with a profusion of gently interwoven spice and fruit notes that cascade across the palate. This is a wine of place and one that both defies and harnesses the warmth of the vintage that birthed it; it's fresh. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.The 2024 Chardonnay is tightly composed, nutty, salty and long, with lashings of stone fruit and exotic spice on the mid-palate. The wine is polished and glossy, sophisticated and seamless, with a profusion of gently interwoven spice and fruit notes that cascade across the palate. This is a wine of place and one that both defies and harnesses the warmth of the vintage that birthed it; it's fresh. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink 2026-2036.
95 points
Erin Larkin - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This flint-struck wine from Samantha Connew pushes all my buttons. It's chalky and fruit-pure with wisps of struck-match that slowly make their way through the ripe stone and citrus fruits. This is followed by a swell of soft spice, crushed stone, meadow flowers and almond paste. It's tautly stretched, dry and savoury, with a long, linear draw across the palate. Finishes focused and true with background tones of grilled hazelnut, crème fraîche and soft spice. Drink 2025-2035.
96 points
Dave Brookes - James Halliday's Wine Companion