2025 Swinging Bridge Mrs Payten Chardonnay

Tom Ward is one of the most important figures driving the Orange wine region forward, and his Swinging Bridge wines have become a benchmark for this high altitude region - especially with Chardonnay.

This cuvée is named after his mother, so you know there is plenty of pride and focus behind it. The 2025 growing season delivered some real concentration, with the fruit coming off cool, elevated slopes on the region's famed volcanic soils - picked for freshness and purity. 

Tom keeps things pretty simple in the shed, utilizing wild ferments and seasoned oak to make sure freshness of fruit stays front and centre. It completely avoids that heavily worked, oaky style that used to plague so many Aussie Chardonnays.

What you get in the glass is a lovely, approachable, refreshing white wine. It has a great fleshiness, showing white peach and a bit of citrus peel bitterness, backed up by a nutty, savoury texture from the time on lees. The finish is long and satisfying, driven by a fine line of cool-climate acidity.

It is just an effortless, versatile and delicious modern Aussie white, made by one of Orange's Chardy masters.  Tremendous value.