Coming off the heels of a perception-changing evening of Chardonnay, we're turning our heads to a set of stunning bottlings from Australian natural star (and now, Chardonnay whisperer) Patrick Sullivan.

A bit has changed a bit since we've last had Patrick's name on our shelves. Prior to the pandemic, his wines helped cement Australia's presence in natural wine circles – avant garde, technicolor co-ferments with grapes like Gewürztraminer and names like Jumpin' Juice and Haggis.

It was a delicious, impactful moment for Australian wine.

The wines have been out of the market for a stretch, but have returned via Australian importer Legend – along with a new style that, on paper, sounds like more traditional Victoria. Patrick is making a touch of Pinot but the focus here is really on Chardonnay, vinified and labeled by site.

He spent his college years traveling and working in wine while studying viticulture, eventually landing at Yarra Valley's Thousand Candles. Here he worked the vineyards with icon grower Stuart Proud, and grew close to winemaker (and another icon) Bill Downie. Serendipity led to Patrick and his wife Megan purchasing land with Bill and his wife Rachel, planting vineyards and sharing resources but each making their own wines.

Patrick and Bill in the winery

His winemaking still follows a natural philosophy, but with far greater focus in the vineyards: biodynamic farming, done with precision and extreme attention to detail. And, with a more singular focus on Chardonnay.

Firmly believing the wines are made in the vineyard, it's very much not a hands-off approach. The vast majority of their work here is in viticultural decisions, monitoring their developing vineyards (and co-farming other sites nearby) with great attention.

It's a sprawling estate in the Strzelecki ranges of Gippsland, a rural area on Australia's southeastern-most coast famous for its crucial koala population. Undulating, biodiverse hills carved by creeks and home to a fascinating mix of basalt, sandstone, and volcanic soils.

Their diverse location, where rainforest gives way to dry-farmed vineyards.

With their unique, untapped location, it's a new lens on Australian Chardonnay that we simply can't put down.

These are available for pre-order and will arrive early October:

2024 Patrick Sullivan Chardonnay, South Eastern Australia, Australia $33
From a blend of sites in Henty (Western Victoria) and right over the border in Mount Gambier on South Australia's Limestone Coast. Vinified and aged in a mix of tank and barrique (25% new). A round, deft balance of texture, fruit and salinity.

2024 Patrick Sullivan 'Black Sands' Chardonnay, South Eastern Australia, Australia $58
From a single vineyard in Henty, Western Victoria, with a unique mix of black volcanic sand and basalt over pure white limestone. Fermented and aged in barrique (30% new) for 11 months. A nuanced, high thread count wine with lemon citrus and sea salt aromatics.

2024 Patrick Sullivan 'Bull Swamp' Chardonnay, Gippsland, Australia, $83
From a warmer, volcanic soil site planted in 1982. Fermented and aged in barrique (30% new) for 11 months. A bottle that feels like Premier Cru Chablis on the richer end: saline, citrus, toasted hazelnut.

2024 Patrick Sullivan 'Woori Yallock' Chardonnay, Yarra Valley, Australia, $83
From Lusatia Park Vineyard in Upper Yarra, planted in 1985 on red basalt. Fermented and aged in barrique (30% new) for 11 months. The most austere bottling, with lacy saline minerality and lime-driven citrus.

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All photos by Tim Grey, via Legend Australian Wine Imports