LS Merchants Butter Barrels Chardonnay 2025

Accolades

Joint No. 1, Top Up Wines People’s Choice WA Wine Awards 2026

After more than 25,000 votes, the Butter Barrels Chardonnay finished in a dead heat for first place. Unlike a traditional judging panel, the Top Up awards are decided by wine drinkers, making this a particularly strong endorsement of how enjoyable the wine is in the glass.

Tasting Notes

• Colour: Bright straw with a soft golden hue.
• Aromatics: Ripe yellow peach and stone fruit with fresh pineapple, jasmine and a citrus lift. Gentle vanilla, toast and buttery notes emerge from the French oak and malolactic fermentation.
• Palate: Rich, rounded and generously flavoured. Peach and pineapple flow through a creamy mid-palate, supported by grapefruit pith and a well-integrated touch of new French oak. The acidity is gentle but present, providing shape and keeping the richness composed.
• Finish: Long and satisfying, with lingering stone fruit, citrus peel, buttered toast and subtle oak spice.

The Butter Barrels Story

Butter Barrels began after it was suggested that LS Merchants make a Chardonnay inspired by the richer styles many wine lovers grew up drinking. The aim was not to create an excessively heavy or bright-yellow wine, but a ripe, creamy Chardonnay with plenty of peachy fruit and a generous influence from new French oak.

The fruit is harvested around three to four weeks later than the fruit used for the flagship LS Merchants Chardonnay. This additional ripening time builds the fuller stone fruit character that defines Butter Barrels and gives the winemakers the concentration needed to support its creamy texture and oak.

Viticulture and Winemaking

• Region: Margaret River, Western Australia
• Variety: 100% Chardonnay
• Alcohol: 12.5%
• Fermentation: Wild fermentation in French oak
• Oak: 40% new French oak
• Lees work: Regular lees stirring to build creaminess and palate weight
• Malolactic fermentation: Generous malolactic fermentation to enhance the buttery character
• Maturation: Approximately eight months in oak before racking, filtration and bottling
• Closure: Screw cap

Serving and Cellaring

Serve: 10 to 12°C. Avoid serving it too cold, as a little warmth helps the peach, oak and buttery aromas open fully.

Decant: Not essential, although 10 to 15 minutes in a large glass or carafe will reveal more of its texture and oak complexity.

Cellar: Enjoy now for its ripe fruit and creamy richness, or cellar for three to five years as the flavours become more integrated and savoury.

Food Pairing

• Roast chicken with garlic, thyme and buttery pan juices
• Grilled crayfish, marron or prawns with lemon butter
• Pork belly with apple and fennel
• Creamy mushroom pasta or risotto
• Baked camembert, Comté or mature cheddar
• Corn, pumpkin or cauliflower dishes with browned butter

FAQ 🧐

Is Butter Barrels Chardonnay genuinely buttery?
Not really. Lees stirring, oak fermentation and generous malolactic fermentation give it a subtle creamy texture and flavour. It still has enough grapefruit pith and acidity to remain balanced rather than feeling flat or overly heavy.

Is this an oaky Chardonnay?
It has a very subtle French oak influence, including 40% new oak. The oak contributes vanilla, toast, spice and structure, but it is supported by ripe peach and pineapple fruit.

How does it differ from the regular LS Merchants Chardonnay?
Butter Barrels is made from fruit harvested around three to four weeks later, resulting in a riper and more generous style. It also receives more malolactic influence, lees stirring and new French oak, while the flagship Chardonnay is made in a tighter and more restrained style.

Who will enjoy this wine?
It is ideal for anyone who likes fruit forward, rounded Chardonnay, particularly drinkers who enjoy peachy fruit, creamy texture and lightly oaked.

Is it sweet?
No. It is a dry Chardonnay. Its ripe fruit and creamy texture can make it feel generous, but the sweetness impression comes from flavour and winemaking rather than residual sugar.