Handpicked Wines latest releases show the difference a 45-minute drive makes

WORDS: Ocean Road Editorial Staff PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied

Handpicked Wines has unveiled its annual Premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay collection, encompassing the 2024 vintage of the winery’s signature varieties across its vineyards in Tasmania, Yarra Valley, and Mornington Peninsula. The releases present an opportunity to taste two single vineyard Yarra Valley Chardonnays from different vineyards, grown just a 45 minute drive from one another.
“Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the bread and butter of Handpicked. They are our signature and what we do best,” says Handpicked’s Chief Winemaker, Peter Dillon.
“While we focus solely on our two hero varieties with this release, there is so much diversity to be found from the sites, with each one bringing a new quality and dimension to the variety.”

A tale of two Yarra Valley vineyards

For those wanting to explore terroir within regions, the Handpicked team suggests undertaking side-by-side comparative tastings with the new wines. The two Single Vineyard Yarra Valley Chardonnays, from Wombat Creek in the Gladysdale subregion, and Highbow Hill in the Yarra Glen subregion, are the ultimate duo to taste and compare.

These two sites are less than an hour’s drive from one another, and while they share the cool-climate DNA of the Yarra Valley, they represent two sides of the region’s personality: the Valley Floor and the Upper Yarra.

● Wombat Creek sits at high-altitude, 420 metres above sea level and features volcanic soils, delivering fragrant, perfumed and finesse of the upper region.
● Highbow Hill represents the valley floor, showing the savoury and spice density of the lower elevation.

“Taking two wines from the same producer, region, and price point, made by the very same winemakers and viticulturists, has got to be the ultimate and most tangible way to explore terroir. It’s a joy for us as winemakers to create a totally new expression of the wine with the same grape; it really shows how the vineyard’s personality carries across into the bottle and onto the palate,” said Dillon.

Winemaking
Handpicked Wombat Creek Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2024: Fruit was hand picked and whole bunch pressed to a mix of new and seasoned French oak for wild fermentation, followed by partial malolactic fermentation and 10 month maturation. The result is a powerful wine with a tight acid line and an alluring future.

RRP:$100

Handpicked Highbow Hill Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2024: Fruit hand picked and chilled overnight before being whole bunch pressed to a mix of barrique and puncheon. The wine undergoes indigenous fermentation and partial malolactic fermentation before 10 months maturation in French oak. The result is a Chardonnay with a polished quartz like texture, elegance and depth.

RRP:$100

The journey to 100% Certified Organic
The Handpicked viticultural team is on a journey to make all of its owned vineyard sites Certified Organic. As of 2026, the Handpicked Highbow Hill site is certified, with Piper’s River the only site still on its way to achieving the accolade.

Arguably the flagship wine of Handpicked and a highlight of its new releases is the Single Vineyard Capella Pinot Noir 2024 (RRP: $100). An iconic and award-winning Pinot hailing from Handpicked’s flagship site the home of its winemaking operations. 2024 marks the second year vintage that this icon is officially certified organic, a result of the ongoing work and soil stewardship by the Handpicked winemaking team over the last decade.

Four of the new releases currently carry the Certified Organic tick of approval:

● Handpicked Collection Mornington Peninsula Chardonnay 2024 2024 RRP $63
● Handpicked Collection Tasmania Chardonnay 2024 RRP $63
● Handpicked Collection Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir 2024 RRP $63
● Handpicked Single Vineyard Capella Pinot Noir 2024 RRP $100

Handpicked’s Premium Pinot Noir and Chardonnay releases are now available from handpickedwines.com.au and an array of fine wine retailers across the country.
For more information about Handpicked Wines, visit: www.handpickedwines.com.au   @handpickedwines