March 7, 2025
Better than Burgundy? 99-Pointed Chardonnay from McHenry Hohnen
99 Points - Vinous - "This classically proportioned 2022 single vineyard Chardonnay Burnside Vineyard is a powerhouse ... An almost perfect palate follows with taut acidity and a mineral frame holding energetic citrus flavors tight through to an exceptionally long and streamlined finish. World class Chardonnay." - Angus Hughson, Vinous
"McHenry Hohnen is an absolute star in Margaret River. Today, founder Murray McHenry leads the team with assistance from Head Winemaker Jacopo Dalli Cani, among a handful of other top wineries. Dalli Cani's focus on vineyard sustainability and biodynamics has helped him weave his magic to craft stylish, subtle and age-worthy wines. The range of Chardonnays from 2022, in particular, is extraordinary." - Angus Hughson, Vinous
A couple of years ago we tasted the wine of McHenry Hohnen for the first time and I was incredibly impressed with the purity, complexity and energy of the wines. Not that it should matter as the wine itself is great, but founder Murray McHenry is also a great guy who is clearly passionate about the region and showing what their terroir can do. He has many good stories to share, including a funny one about Sting coming in to taste in a helicopter at his winery.
The wines are fantastic and warrant your attention. Compared to its peers both in the Margaret River and Burgundy, these wines are an absolute bargain. From the vintages I have tried, Hazel as always been one of my favourites but in 2022 the Burnside Chardonnay comes out top with a 99-point score from Vinous who are a notoriously tough scorer.
These are world class Chardonnays. Let us tell you more about the wines and why they belong in your collection.
Situated in Western Australia’s premier wine region, McHenry Hohnen benefits from Margaret River’s unique coastal climate, influenced by the Indian and Southern Oceans. The cooling maritime breezes, combined with the region’s ancient gravelly loam soils, create ideal conditions for low-yield, high-quality grape production. The estate’s vineyards are farmed biodynamically, with a strong focus on soil health, biodiversity, and regenerative farming practices, ensuring that the wines remain an authentic expression of their environment.
McHenry Hohnen’s single-vineyard Chardonnays are among the finest in Margaret River, each vineyard offering a distinct expression of terroir while maintaining a signature precision and finesse.
Burnside Vineyard: One of Margaret River’s most historic sites, Burnside’s dry-grown Chardonnay is planted on gravelly loam soils, producing wines with intense minerality, vibrant acidity, and impressive ageing potential.
Hazel’s Vineyard: Located in the warmer southern part of Margaret River, Hazel’s biodynamically farmed Chardonnay delivers rich texture, saline freshness, and layered complexity, making it one of the region’s most structured and expressive white wines.
Calgardup Vineyard: Just two kilometers from the Indian Ocean, Calgardup benefits from strong maritime influences, yielding taut, mineral-driven Chardonnay with citrus intensity, flinty depth, and remarkable precision.
These single-vineyard Chardonnays have become benchmark wines, routinely impressing in blind tastings and international competitions. Regardless of vintage, they exhibit a true sense of place, evolving beautifully over five years from release while maintaining a consistent signature of purity and elegance.
We have a very limited allocation available today, with Calgardup and Hazel available for immediate purchase. Due to high demand and restricted quantities, Burnside is On Allocation. To request bottles, please reply with your desired quantity, and we will do our best to fulfil your allocation.
McHenry Hohnen Burnside Chardonnay 2022
This wine is On Allocation and sold 1:1 with the Calgardup. To request an allocation, email [email protected]
99 Points | Vinous, Angus Hughson
This classically proportioned 2022 single vineyard Chardonnay Burnside Vineyard is a powerhouse, but needs some time to shine. Waves of nectarine, floral and musky peach skin aromas with excellent focus are beautifully integrated with young, tight French oak. An almost perfect palate follows with taut acidity and a mineral frame holding energetic citrus flavors tight through to an exceptionally long and streamlined finish. World class Chardonnay.
96 Points | Wine Advocate. Erin Larkin
The 2022 Burnside Vineyard Chardonnay is the most powerful and sumptuous of the three Chardonnays in 2022, and it leads with ripe peach, Golden Delicious apples, cashews and nashi pear. This is an excellent Chardonnay, one of angles and shades, colors and perspectives. It has a mottled aspect to the fruit—which is not a comment on "mottled shade" and, therefore, differing levels of ripeness. Rather, mottled here refers to the movement of mottled shade, as relating to the flavors and textures of the wine. It is complex and moving and attractive as hell. Like the Calgardup, this is coastal and fresh, with hints of iodine and crushed shells, sea spray and nori through the finish. It's really good. This is one of the Chardonnays from Margaret River that savvy collectors know about and purchase annually. Brilliant. 13.2% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
95 Points | Halliday Wine Companion, Jane Faulkner
Of the three single-vineyard chardonnays, Burnside has the most fruit weight and richness, albeit from a Margaret River/McHenry Hohnen perspective. Luscious ripe stone fruit mixed with lemon and grapefruit plus pith, crème pâtissière flavours from the lees and a lick of cedary sweetness from oak; the acidity ensures this lingers and finishes on a high.
McHenry Hohnen Calgardup Brook Chardonnay 2022
96 Points | Halliday Wine Companion, Jane Faulkner
For whatever reason, this just has the edge compared with its two other chardonnay siblings, which are both excellent. This just seems more high-toned, flinty, racy and linear. Yet it has texture, depth and super length. All the flavours come together seamlessly, the oak a mere seasoning, and moreish acidity ensures this is delicious now and will age well.
95 Points | Wine Advocate, Erin Larkin
The 2022 Calgardup Brook Vineyard Chardonnay is tight and fine; it curls in tendrils through the long finish and litters the palate with dehydrated lemon peel, clove buds, white pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, brine and saltbush. It is coastal and fresh, mineral and fine. The vineyard is north-facing and planted on coastal limestone loam, established in 1997. I love the precision and delicacy of this wine. While others may overtake it for my preference in the future, within this release, this is one of the top wines for 2022. 12.8% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
93 Points | Vinous, Angus Hughson
The shapely and immaculate 2022 Chardonnay Calgardup Brook Vineyard initially teases with aromas of melon sorbet topped with crushed nuts lined with green apples and toasty oak. Excellent texture and volume of flavor follow, but it is still wrapped very tight in its shell. The overall impression, though, is seamless, and I have no doubt it will build impressively in bottle.
McHenry Hohnen Hazel's Vineyard Chardonnay 2022
96 Points | Vinous, Angus Hughson
The approachable yet finely tuned 2022 Chardonnay Hazel's Vineyard draws you in with highly complex yet understated aromas of citrus flowers and peach stone against a background of gently toasty oak. Crisp and vibrant, a strong core acidity drives searing focus and mineral intensity through to an extremely long finish. The 2022 is so young, with plenty to look forward to.
95 Points | Halliday Wine Companion, Jane Faulkner
Like a millefeuille, as in the French pastry, this has layers to it. Creamy in the middle, crisp pastry-like leesy flavours on the outside and plenty of grapefruit and spiced up stone fruit to satisfy. There’s some sweet-ish oak, a little spicy, too, and the final outcome is a moreish drink with the saline-like acidity keeping everything in place.
93+ Points | Wine Advocate, Erin Larkin
The 2022 Hazel's Vineyard Chardonnay leads with creamy crushed and salted nuts, yellow peach and stewed apples. In the mouth, the wine is all about curry leaves and a hint of marzipan, candied almonds and pastry. There is also a hint of underripe pear. In some ways, it is archetypal Margaret River Chardonnay: powerful and yet tightly coiled, with firm acidity, populated by rich fruit and long. The acidity that sits on the back of the palate is fierce, and it serves to rip through the fruit and linger through the finish. I'd say that this wine will be better in a few years, which does make me sound like a broken record. But they really do blossom five years after harvest—so, circa 2027. For now, many will drink and love this, but it will be better! 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.