Tasmania continues to command the attention and admiration of producers from Australia’s mainland, and few names carry more weight than Michael Hill-Smith and Martin Shaw of Shaw + Smith. In 2012, the Adelaide Hills duo visited the Tolpuddle Vineyard, which was first planted in 1988, and couldn’t resist purchasing it and starting their own Tasmanian wine brand. Their pioneering move also set the stage for Australian producers like Yabby Lake, Serrat and Giant Steps to follow.

Twelve vintages later, Hill-Smith and Shaw produced perhaps their best wine ever. The Tolpuddle Chardonnay Tasmania 2024 crowns our Top 100 Wines of Australia list as the Australian Wine of the Year for 2025 – marking the second consecutive year a Tasmanian producer has taken the top spot.

This is a genuine “wow” wine, and you could be forgiven for thinking you were in the grand climats of Burgundy when tasting it. It sits just on the edge of reduction with its power and minerality, and its highly strung palate is balanced by a generous and rounded mouthfeel. If there’s a reason Hill-Smith and Shaw are considered one of Australia’s top winemaking teams, this is it.

This Top 100 list spans the entirety of the country, with 39 bottles from South Australia, 34 from Victoria, 14 from Western Australia, eight from Tasmania, four from New South Wales and one multiregional blend. The final mix is also remarkably balanced: 48 reds, 49 whites and three sparkling wines. White wines, however, took the lion’s share of the Top 10 with six entries, comprising chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and riesling.

Each wine on this list was produced in quantities of at least 2,500 bottles, with prices starting as low as US$15. The average price of this year’s Top 100 sits at just US$51. Along with the elusive “wow” factor – the moment a wine transcends expectation – price, availability and quality were the key criterion in determining where we placed a wine. Each year, outstanding bottles are omitted simply due to scarcity or extreme pricing that doesn’t represent the broader Australian market. Sadly, most of these wines seldom reach foreign markets. We guess Australians know how great their best wines are and don’t want to share! We hope this changes!

The rise of white wines at the highest ranks of this list is not about preference – it reflects true quality, value, and a new level of precision and energy across Australia’s cool-climate regions.

At No. 2, the Mount Mary Yarra Valley Triolet 2023 – a white blend of sauvignon blanc, semillon and muscadelle – delivers exceptional clarity and depth, with pithy citrus, cool-toned energy and a long, mineral finish reminiscent of top-tier Pessac-Leognan. From the cooler 2023 harvest, it manages to capture tension and freshness beneath a strong fruit backbone.

The next three wines in the top five are all from the 2024 harvest, which for the southeastern parts of Australia saw a return to more “normal” conditions after the cooler 2022 and 2023 vintages. They are impressive, with a great core of fruit yet retaining tension and purity.

The No. 3 Jasper Hill Shiraz Heathcote Georgia’s Paddock 2024 is perhaps the most pure and refined example yet of this cult-like wine from Heathcote, Victoria.

The estate is headed by Emily McNally and her husband, Nick, who in 2024 made wines with exceptional balance – where fruit, earth and vineyard character come together with polish. This is especially true of their shiraz. Its layers of black and blue fruits are underpinned by a mineral undertone, and the palate is integrated, with acidity providing backbone and tannins that feel almost silken.

At No. 4 is the Murdoch Hill Chardonnay Adelaide Hills Rocket 2024, the brainchild of Michael Downer, a young winemaker with deep experience across hemispheres who is completely on top of his game in producing reductive, mineral and ageworthy wines. None is better than the Rocket, a flashy, mineral and reductive offering with excellent density of fruit cut through by electric acidity.

Rounding out the top five is the Serrat Shiraz Viognier Yarra Valley 2024, a deeply scented wine with a lovely mineral edge, medium-bodied palate and seamlessly integrated mouthfeel. This epitomizes a lifetime of work for Tom Carson, who defined the modern Yarra Valley shiraz viognier style over 20 years ago.

Nos. 6 and 7 go to two Margaret River standouts – the Cullen Sauvignon Blanc Margaret River Legacy Series 2021 and Deep Woods Estate Chardonnay Margaret River Reserve 2024. Vanya Cullen’s Legacy Series often falls off the list due to scarcity and lofty prices, but not this sauvignon blanc – it’s priced at about US$50 and is among the best value white wines made in Australia. It would hold its own against the finest examples from Bordeaux or the Loire. Similarly, Julian Langworthy’s Deep Woods Reserve continues to deliver excellence and value, a flashy, reductive and flirtatious style few can match. From 2024 – the warmest, driest and earliest vintage on record for Margaret River – it still shows remarkable freshness.

Victoria contributed 34 wines to the Top 100, with Michael Dhillon of Bindi continuing to shape Australia’s cool-climate narrative with the No. 8 Bindi Pinot Noir Macedon Ranges Original Vineyard 2024. This is a nearly perfect release from Bindi, showcasing his deft touch with pinot. The No. 10 Best’s Pinot Meunier Great Western Old Vine 2024 is also from Victoria. It’s made from the oldest meunier vines in the world and is a true national treasure that drinks like fine Burgundy grown in the middle of country Victoria.

In Victoria’s Geelong area, meanwhile, both established and emerging producers are flourishing. Ray Nadeson and his daughter Indra at Lethbridge consistently make cerebral wines, including the Lethbridge Riesling Henty Dr Nadeson 2024 (No. 15) — mineral, slate-driven and electric, with real Germanic tension and strength. Nearby, Ben Mulline of Mulline Wines continues his ascent. His Mulline Chardonnay Geelong Portarlington 2024 (No. 59) shows high tension, mineral precision and old-world appeal.

READ MORE RESILIENT AND CONFIDENT, VICTORIA FINDS ITS GROOVE

South Australia had another entry among the Top 10 besides the Murdoch Hill 2024 chardonnay, with the early release of the warm, generous 2025 vintage shining through in the No. 9 Rieslingfreak Riesling Eden Valley No. 4 2025. This offering showcases Rieslingfreak winemaker John Hughes’ ability to craft unique, style-driven bottlings in a seemingly effortless way.

Other notable wines from South Australia that made it into the Top 100 are the The Standish Wine Company Eden Valley Lamella 2023 (No. 11), which borders on perfection with its balance of freshness and purity underlining its silk-like finesse; the No. 20 S.C. Pannell Grenache McLaren Vale Old McDonald 2023, which continues to define a unique Australian style with its fresh, crunchy tannins, bright fruit and lift; and the No. 21 Grosset Riesling Clare Valley Polish Hill 2025.

Western Australia’s Margaret River region also featured strongly in the Top 100 with 14 offerings (despite only producing about 5 percent of all Australian wine in any given year). Wines like the Nocturne Chardonnay Margaret River Forrest Vineyard 2024 (No. 18), Xanadu Chardonnay Margaret River Reserve 2023 (No. 27) and Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Margaret River Art Series 2022 (No. 30) — the latter another excellent release from this famed chardonnay house – are all emblematic of the outrageous price-to-quality ratio and consistency found in the region.

This year’s Top 100 Wines of Australia once again underscores the diversity, precision and energy driving the country’s best wines. From the cool, coastal edges of Tasmania to the historic vineyards of the Hunter Valley, winemakers continue to balance fruit purity, texture and site expression at the highest level. The 2024 and 2023 vintages show just how far the modern generation has pushed quality and style, proving that Australia’s greatest offerings can rival the best in the world.

– Ryan Montgomery, Associate Editor

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated by the JamesSuckling.com tasting team. They include many latest releases not yet available on the market, but which will be available soon. 

Note: You can sort the wines below by vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.