Cornelius Airds Chardonnay
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed 3–10 years from vintage release.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted chicken, creamy mushroom risotto, grilled lobster with butter
✨ Technical Specifications
The Cornelius range represents the pinnacle of Scotchmans Hill's winemaking, showcasing exceptional single-vineyard expressions from the cool-climate Bellarine Peninsula. The Airds Chardonnay is sourced from select low-yielding blocks, where the maritime influence of Bass Strait and Port Phillip Bay moderates temperatures, allowing for a long, slow ripening period. This terroir, characterized by black volcanic soils over limestone, imparts a distinct flinty minerality to the wine. Crafted using traditional techniques, the fruit is gently pressed and fermented with wild yeasts in French oak barriques, followed by regular lees stirring to build a complex, textured palate that balances vibrant citrus and stone fruit flavors with elegant, integrated oak.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1982 by David and Catherine Browne, Scotchmans Hill is a pioneering producer on the maritime Bellarine Peninsula within Victoria's acclaimed Geelong wine region. Planted on rich, volcanic basalt soils and moderated by maritime breezes from Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait, the estate benefits from a dry, cool maritime microclimate. Guided by long-tenured chief winemaker Robin Brockett, the winery focuses on minimal intervention and precision viticulture to reflect authentic regional terroir. Scotchmans Hill is renowned for its estate-grown, elegant Pinot Noir, complex Chardonnay, cool-climate Shiraz, and its prestige Cornelius single-vineyard collection.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Chardonnay
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
13.0% - 13.5%