The Eighteen-Year Test: Legacy, Tennis, and the Future of Red Hill Chardonnay
A refined 2008 Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay from Red Hill, showing remarkable age with notes of brioche, oyster shell, cashew and stone fruit. This cool-climate white wine shows how premium Australian Chardonnay can evolve over nearly two decades, proving that site, patience and thoughtful winemaking are often the true measures of longevity.
I often get asked what makes a wine truly great. Is it the score it receives on release, or is it the way it tells a story ten or twenty years down the line?
For this week’s Wine Back Wednesday, I decided to step away from the Smidge cellar and look toward the Mornington Peninsula. Specifically, I opened a 2008 Eldridge Estate Chardonnay from Red Hill.
While this isn’t a Smidge wine, part of my role as a winemaker is to keep learning from the work of others. Bottles like this help sharpen the eye. They remind you what time can do, what site can hold, and how important balance is when a wine is asked to carry itself for many years.
A quietly beautiful story
The story of Eldridge Estate is one of those quietly beautiful Australian wine stories built on care, patience and a deep sense of place.
The original vineyard was planted in 1984, although David and Wendy Lloyd took over the reins in 1995. David had loved wine from a young age and had made wine as an amateur for a few years, although he became a teacher before embarking on the Eldridge Estate journey.
With Wendy’s love of Chardonnay and David’s love of Pinot Noir, the opportunity was a natural balance. David’s Chardonnays and Pinots were very good, although personally, I believe his Gamays were consistently among the best in Australia.
David and Wendy also shared a love of tennis, regularly travelling overseas for Wimbledon and visits to Burgundy. You can feel some of that influence in the wines: elegance over force, detail over volume, and a clear respect for site.
Alt Text: Close-up of healthy grapevines in a cool-climate vineyard, representing the meticulous care taken in premium Australian wine production.
The 2008 season in Red Hill
This 2008 Chardonnay was most likely made from Chardonnay clones P58, I10V5 and perhaps Bernard 96. It was fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in 100% French oak.
The 2008 season in the Mornington Peninsula was warm and dry, leading to good yields and flavour development. Importantly, the nights were still cool enough to retain acidity. That acidity matters. It is often what allows a wine to remain alive, bright and interesting as it ages.
French oak, especially at this level, needs fruit with enough shape and strength to carry it. When handled well, it does not dominate the wine. It becomes part of the frame.
Tasting the eighteen-year test
Upon pouring, the wine was deep straw to soft gold. At this age, that colour could suggest tiredness, but thankfully this bottle still had brilliance. It was not dull. In fact, it was more vibrant and fresher than the colour might first suggest.
The nose showed a full mix of stone fruits, brioche, oyster shell, cashew nuts and integrated oak.
On the palate, it was long and balanced, with a moderate level of richness. Stone fruit, cashew and brioche carried through, held in check by good acidity and subtle oak.
Nearly two decades on, it still had freshness, line and something to say.
Alt Text: Matt Wenk in the Smidge Wines barrel hall, highlighting the hands-on craftsmanship required to create age-worthy Australian wines.
Passing the baton
The history of a winery is rarely a straight line. Sadly, Wendy passed away in 2014. David continued winemaking for another decade before retiring to Tasmania.
The baton has now been handed to Elli Tutungi and his wife, Vicki.
Elli came to Australia as a child, fleeing his war-torn homeland with his parents. Their surname, Tutungi, means “tobacco sellers”, and his family were tobacco and fine wine merchants. Wine, in some ways, was already part of the story, although Elli went on to become an anaesthetist.
Vicki grew up in Victoria’s Gippsland, where her family were tomato farmers, and later became a lawyer. Day to day, Elli and Vicki continue their professional work, although they can often be found in the vineyard or winery.
Steve Flamsteed, of Giant Steps fame, is their consultant winemaker, along with Grace Jiranek. I am certain this team will continue David and Wendy’s legacy well into the future.
Why we review other wines
You might wonder why I spend time talking about wines that are not Smidge.
The simple answer is that wine is a lifelong study. Every good bottle teaches you something. Sometimes it is about place. Sometimes it is about patience. Sometimes it is about restraint. This 2008 Eldridge Estate Chardonnay is a reminder that great wine is not only about release-day impressions. Sometimes the real measure is what remains after time has done its work.
At Smidge, we take that same idea seriously. We make small batches with care, control and attention to place, from berry to bottle. The aim is not to make wines that shout. It is to make wines with shape, honesty and enough detail to keep revealing themselves over time.
Who this wine suits
- The patient cellarer: Anyone who enjoys seeing how primary fruit transforms into complex nutty, brioche and mineral characters over time.
- The Chardonnay purist: Those who appreciate elegance, acidity, subtle oak and a long, quiet finish.
- The story lover: Anyone drawn to small wine estates, personal histories and bottles that carry more than flavour alone.
Alt Text: A group of people enjoying wine and conversation at a cellar door, illustrating the community and shared stories behind every bottle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay age?
Premium examples from strong sites can age for 10 to 20 years, sometimes longer, when they have the right acid structure, fruit weight and oak integration.
What are the common flavours in aged Chardonnay?
As Chardonnay ages, fresh citrus and stone fruit can develop into preserved fruit, brioche, toasted nuts, honeyed notes and sometimes a saline or mineral character.
What does indigenous yeast mean in winemaking?
Indigenous, or wild, yeast refers to the yeast naturally present in the vineyard or winery. Rather than adding a commercial yeast strain, the winemaker allows fermentation to begin naturally, which can contribute complexity and individuality.
Start with Smidge: Start Here 6
Six bottles chosen to show the range clearly — whites, Cabernet and Shiraz — and a simple place to begin with Smidge.