Hoddles Creek Estate Chardonnay 2010

Led by winemaking guru Franco D'Anna, the team at Hoddles Creek produce wonderful chardonnay year in and year out that seriously overdeliver at the price point. The wines are made from fruit grown on their family vineyard in the Upper Yarra Valley. 

"These vines are still less than 15 years old, so it's fascinating to imagine what will develop here. The lovely 2009 version of this over-delivered as it was, but this one has an extra bit of Burgundy-like pungency with lemon and nectarine fruits overlaid by that next dimension of struck flint and cashew. The palate is juicy, yet also cut, shaped and serious. Most of the Burgundian techniques seem to be in play, but nothing hides that gorgeous Yarra Chardonnay fruit. I know I've probably used that 'B' word a bit much, but you probably get the drift; the Yarra meets Burgundy, for this money?"  David Ridge

"All fruit is hand-picked in the morning and immediately de-stemmed and lightly crushed into the press. No enzymes are used; instead the juice is allowed to settle naturally. In 2021, there were approximately fifteen different ferments, these were allowed to start naturally on full solids. After a select period of time, some of the juice was inoculated with cultured yeast then transferred to wood for fermentation. The wine is then left on lees for approximately 11 months. Just before bottling all clones are blended, cold stabilized, fined and filtered."  Franco D'Anna, Winemaker

"Fortuitously, in 1960, the D'Anna family had purchased a steeply forested 25ha property which in 1997 they set about planting. Almost overnight, glorious pinot noirs and chardonnays started to flow at prices that were irresistible – and still are."  James Halliday

Expert reviews

"Estate grown on the oldest vineyard blocks, with all four Burgundian clones (76, 95, 96 and 227) plus P58 and 11OV1. Franco d'Anna is a highly skilled and intuitive winemaker, in touch with the grapes from the moment they are formed, then picked, pressed and fermented and French oak matured. You either get the purity, balance and finesse of this wine, or you don't. 13.2% alc; screwcap."  James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion - 95 points

"A very clear plan by the D'Anna family – to use the Burgundy clones of Chardonnay planted on particular sites – is gradually coming to fruition. These vines are still less than 15 years old, so it's fascinating to imagine what will develop here. The lovely 2009 version of this over-delivered as it was, but this one has an extra bit of Burgundy-like pungency with lemon and nectarine fruits overlaid by that next dimension of struck flint and cashew. The palate is juicy, yet also cut, shaped and serious. Most of the Burgundian techniques seem to be in play, but nothing hides that gorgeous Yarra Chardonnay fruit. I know I've probably used that 'B' word a bit much, but you probably get the drift; the Yarra meets Burgundy, for this money?"  David Ridge, The Melbourne Review

"This was lucky No.31 in a blind tasting and one of the best wines on the night. There's a bit of fuss over Hoddles Creek Pinot Noir, but invariably the Chardonnay is their star turn (and Pinot Blanc). I tasted it quickly so the note is not 'in depth' but it's enough; the quality was clear. A little sulphide and struck match complexity, citrus, almonds and white peach. A fine, flinty, linear spicy style with strong 'Chablis-like' lines and excellent length of palate. Beautifully made. A stylish, confident wine that has something to say. And, most importantly, it's good to drink too. Drink: 2012 - 2018."  Gary Walsh, The Wine Front – 94 points

"The 2010 vintage is proving to be excellent, particularly for whites, as this chardonnay attests with its slatey, citrus and ginger spice notes, soft acidity and plump, generous palate. It's poised and balanced with a lingering finish."  Jane Faulkner, The Age

"Having tasted this in barrel last year and talked it up then, I'm probably not entirely impartial with this wine, but given that my wife and I ended up fighting over the dregs, it's fair to say that it won us over! It captures everything I like in modern Australian Chardonnay without going too far down the lean and mean path. The nose presents that expressive and lovely marriage of oak and fruit that make Chardonnay so, so appealing. Grapefruit, peach, milkiness, nuttiness, and cloves are all there. Moving onto the palate, what I love is this wine's weight. It's got richness and power, but keeps everything in check, retaining a sense of elegance. Spicy oak, fine acidity, and some phenolics give this wine a lovely texture to. Wonderful length and persistence in spades are there to finish it all off. Ripper wine. With a bit of air its great now, but I'll be putting a couple of bottles in the cellar."  Red to Brown Wine Review

Franco D'Anna

In 1960 Tony and Bruno D'Anna purchased their future vineyard in the upper reaches of the Yarra Valley at Hoddles Creek, chosen due to the presence of a small creek which provided a natural water supply. Ironically the property was bought completely without vineyards in mind – merely to grow vegetables and run some cattle – and well before the potential of the Yarra Valley as a wine region had re-emerged after a long hiatus. 

It was not until the nineties, when interest in small wineries exploded around the country, that the D'Annas made the logical leap to plant vines at Hoddles Creek. Mario Marson, who was viticulturalist and winemaker at Yarra icon Mount Mary, assisted in the planting of traditional varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with the surprise addition of Pinot Blanc, which has turned out to be one of the star wines.  With their now highly successful Boccacio Cellars wine business behind them, all the pieces were in place to return to serious winemaking and again follow in the steps of their forefathers. 

For Tony's son, Franco D'Anna, the path into the family business was almost a foregone conclusion. On finishing a commerce degree at the University of Melbourne he moved straight into a buying role for Boccacio Cellars but never quite settled. "I did this for a few years but never loved it. I went out to the vineyard to help out after planting and never left. I loved being outside, not enclosed within four walls and working flexible hours. On the vineyard I'll start work at 5am and then go play golf in the afternoon. What's not to love about being a farmer?" 

But Franco still lacked the technical knowledge and he knew it. So Franco went back to university – this time studying Applied Wine Science – which was followed by vintages with James Halliday at Coldstream Hills as well as overseas in Burgundy, Sicily and Piedmont. What those experiences have given him, combined with a lifetime surrounded by wine, is a unique take on classic Yarra Valley styles which centers on fruit quality. "Without good fruit it's impossible to make good wine. I have four staff members, and we spend 90 percent of our time in the vineyard." 

Winemaking is also relatively natural and in true Italian style concentrates as much on mouthfeel and structure as the more traditional Australian flavour-oriented wines. "We are lucky enough to grow grapes in an area where additions aren't really necessary. We don't add acid, enzymes, filter so there isn't much manipulation in the winery." And what stands out is that these winemaking philosophies are imprinted on each and every wine under the Hoddles Creek and Wickham Road labels which are unique, characterful and savoury expressions of the modern Yarra style. They are also delicious and generally made to age.

The above text was taken from an article by Angus Hughson published in Winepilot

About the winery

Hoddles Creek Estate was established in 1997 when the D'Anna family decided to establish a vineyard on the property that has been in the family since 1960. The vineyard sits astride Gembrook Road and adjacent to Hoddles Creek. Its steeply sloping blocks prohibit mechanical harvesting, with both vineyards being hand pruned and harvested.

Initially, 8 hectares of pinot noir and chardonnay were planted to the steepest slopes on the vineyard. More pinot noir and chardonnay, plus some pinot blanc followed in 2001, with cabernet sauvignon, pinot gris and sauvignon blanc coming later still. Franco, whose twin brother, Anthony, takes the reins at the store and for their prolific wine importing arm, Mondo Imports, first worked onsite in 1998, and it skewed him away from a career employing his commerce degree (Melbourne University) to retraining as a viticulturist at Charles Sturt.

The first commercial vintage at Hoddles Creek was in 2003, in their just-completed bespoke winery. All the wines, which are single vineyard, estate grown, are made in the 300 tonne winery. The split-level winery has a barrel store located three meters underground. Mario Marson (ex-Mount Mary, now Vinea Marson) steadied the course in the early days, but it was not long before Franco was in full charge, with the mandate to make the best wines he possibly could.

Hoddles Creek produce two tiers of wine, their Estate range and their flagship '1er' (or Premier Cru) range with fruit from certain blocks that excel year after year. Along with the established range, Franco has started bottling single block wines as he starts to see distinct micro-site variation with the vines hitting meaningful maturity. In the vanguard of these bottlings is a chardonnay from the coolest, most elevated and steepest blocks, 'Syberia'.

Hoddles Creek's mission is to produce terroir driven Yarra Valley wines of the highest possible quality sourced from impeccably farmed old vines with a focus on balance, complexity, concentration and ageability. They also lay a serious claim to being one of the best value producers in Australia.

In addition to the wines of their Yarra Valley vineyard, Hoddles Creek also produce an entry level range under the Wickhams Road label. Fruit is sourced from vineyards in Gippsland, Yarra Valley, King Valley and Yea. Hoddles Creek have become as well known for their dazzlingly economical Wickhams Road range as for their premium bottlings, as they are perennially the best-value chardonnay and pinot noir in the market.

Sections of the above text are taken from an article on Franco d'Anna that appeared in Young Gun of Wine