2019 Heytesbury Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
Gingin clone from Wilyabrup (sandy loam with clay and gravel loam over clay) and Walcliffe (gravel and sandy loam with clay). Hand-harvested. Whole-bunch pressed and transferred direct to barrel (French oak barrique – 61% new, 39% 1–4 years old) as unclarified juice. Ambient-yeast fermentation. Full malolactic conversion. Aged in barrel for 9 months with some bâtonnage. Filtered. TA 6.7 g/l, pH 3.14. Surprisingly restrained aroma with a touch of oak spice and none of the typical smoky notes I expect with Heytesbury, though this character shows more on the palate. Crisp acidity, deep, deep flavour and texture. Full and long, and still extremely youthful. Deliciously subtle toastiness on the finish. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Alistair Cooper MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Tasted blind. Fermented and aged for 10 months in French oak. Restrained nose, tight but fleshy palate. Tangy with oatmeal/cereal notes. Textural, limited length, full body. Seems there is more here, but it's been caught napping. Margaret River? (RH)
Cooler than 2020 and labour-intensive. Hand-harvested 21 Feb to 8 March 2019. Whole-bunch pressed. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 500 NTU. Aged 9 months in French oak, of which 61% new. Five months in tank after blending. TA 6.7 g/l, pH 3.14. Bottled May 2020. Winemaker Virginia Willcock always worries about how fruity the wine tastes (what she referred to as 'devastating fruit') for the first 6–12 months after bottling, before it starts to show its more savoury, smoky/mineral qualities. She would like to keep the wine longer before release but they are always sold out of this wine for around 6 months of the year. A little more toasty on the nose than the 2020 and starting so show more of that creamy/leesy character as well as the more flinty aroma. More lemon than lime at first with a light smoky herbal note. Wonderfully dry tension thanks to the acidity and the texture, which is key to the impressive and mouth-watering finish. Fine grip/friction and great length. (JH)
Shimmering straw. A hugely perfumed bouquet evokes fresh, mineral-accented citrus and orchard fruits, saffron, chamomile and fennel, and vanilla and sweet butter notes build with aeration. Shows superb clarity and mineral cut on the palate, offering concentrated pear nectar, Meyer lemon, hazelnut, honeysuckle and candied ginger flavors and a touch of smoky lees. Emphatically echoes the mineral and floral notes on the impressively long finish, which shows noteworthy precision and spicy cut.
About the producer
Vasse Felix was the first winery in Margaret River, founded in 1967. Today, it is one of Western Australia’s – and the New World’s – most respected names, crafting outstanding, cool-climate Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from this remote region, south of Perth.