Appearance: Bright and clear, the wine is of light lemon colour, with wide watery rims and legs. Nose: Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of green fruit of apple, citrus fruit of lemon, floral notes of honeysuckle, stone fruit of peach, mineral notes of waxy, sweet spice of ginger, maturity notes of hay. The wine is developing. Palate: Dry with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium alcohol, medium body, with medium (+) flavours of green fruit of green apple, citrus fruit of lemon, sweet spice of ginger, kernel notes of almond, mineral notes of beeswax. The wine has a medium (+) finish. Conclusion: Very good quality Margaret River Chardonnay with an intense and complex nose showing wonderful fruity and floral characters, with some ginger and waxy notes too. On the palate the wine is refreshing, with good acidity and well-structured, having wonderful concentration of flavours and fairly long length as well. It is ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.
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What a revelation and what a wine. Who needs overpriced Grand Cru Burgundys when you have this beauty at a fraction of the cost. It is wonderfully expressive on the nose, with razor sharp precision on the palate and finish with a perfect salinity. Lemon, peach, mango and oyster shell dominate the taste profile. I fully understand why this has received critic ratings of 96 and 97. Unfortunately, this was my only bottle, and am now on a mission to source more. And it is a screw top!!!
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At first, after a brief decant and served with chicken in a cream sauce, this was almost a bit sweetish and exotic rather than citrus fruits, but it gradually evolved and produced a very enjoyable cocktail mix of flavours. This is definitely superior to the estate Chardonnay which I have tasted before.
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It is inconceivable to exaggerate the grandeur & complexity of the Vasse Felix Heytesbury and the 2020 vintage remains majestic, up there with the Big Lads! Straw-golden, greenish reflections in the glass. Nose brims with great infusions of exotic fruits, peach, sweet oranges, white flowers, beeswax & barrel spice. M+ to full-bodied with a texture that is exceedingly layered, rich & smooth, bang intensity, fruit-driven & with ample acidity & minerality. Powerful, mineral-dry & saline 45s finish. Astonishing today.
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2020 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay had graceful elegance and aromatic depth. Bottled under a convenient screwcap, the youthful Margaret River Chardonnay was clear and pale lemon in colour without any sediments. It opened up considerably over two hours of in-bottle aeration. Generous aromas of green apple, apricot, honeysuckle and green herbs were followed by white bread, smoke and hazelnut.
The mouthfeel was dry and verging full-bodied, with a rather high level of precise acidity. The piquant acidity and mineral tension provided a splendid structure on the mid-palate. Flavours of lemon zest, fresh pear and pineapple transitioned to butted toast and saline minerals in a long, delineated finish. The alcohol level was at 13.5%. The empty bottle weighed 589 grams. It is definitely going to age well over a decade. If you cannot wait to crack a bottle now, its acidity and richness will allow versatile pairing with a wide range of Chinese dishes, from simple steamed fish to fried lotus and braised pork belly.
From the information on the winery website, the Gingin clone Chardonnay was harvested as whole bunches and pressed into French oak fermentation vessels. The juice underwent complete malolactic fermentation. The wine was raised sur latte in French oak barrels, of which 62% were new and 38% were one to four years old. The blended wine spends another seven months in an inert tank prior to bottling.
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5/7/2024 - peterchoy wrote: 94 Points
Appearance: Bright and clear, the wine is of light lemon colour, with wide watery rims and legs.
Nose: Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of green fruit of apple, citrus fruit of lemon, floral notes of honeysuckle, stone fruit of peach, mineral notes of waxy, sweet spice of ginger, maturity notes of hay. The wine is developing.
Palate: Dry with medium (+) acidity, the wine has medium alcohol, medium body, with medium (+) flavours of green fruit of green apple, citrus fruit of lemon, sweet spice of ginger, kernel notes of almond, mineral notes of beeswax. The wine has a medium (+) finish.
Conclusion: Very good quality Margaret River Chardonnay with an intense and complex nose showing wonderful fruity and floral characters, with some ginger and waxy notes too. On the palate the wine is refreshing, with good acidity and well-structured, having wonderful concentration of flavours and fairly long length as well. It is ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.
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9/4/2023 - djhammond Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a revelation and what a wine. Who needs overpriced Grand Cru Burgundys when you have this beauty at a fraction of the cost. It is wonderfully expressive on the nose, with razor sharp precision on the palate and finish with a perfect salinity. Lemon, peach, mango and oyster shell dominate the taste profile. I fully understand why this has received critic ratings of 96 and 97. Unfortunately, this was my only bottle, and am now on a mission to source more. And it is a screw top!!!
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3/5/2023 - Norn Iron wrote: 91 Points
At first, after a brief decant and served with chicken in a cream sauce, this was almost a bit sweetish and exotic rather than citrus fruits, but it gradually evolved and produced a very enjoyable cocktail mix of flavours. This is definitely superior to the estate Chardonnay which I have tasted before.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2022 - JensAgo Likes this wine: 95 Points
It is inconceivable to exaggerate the grandeur & complexity of the Vasse Felix Heytesbury and the 2020 vintage remains majestic, up there with the Big Lads! Straw-golden, greenish reflections in the glass. Nose brims with great infusions of exotic fruits, peach, sweet oranges, white flowers, beeswax & barrel spice. M+ to full-bodied with a texture that is exceedingly layered, rich & smooth, bang intensity, fruit-driven & with ample acidity & minerality. Powerful, mineral-dry & saline 45s finish. Astonishing today.
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9/6/2022 - apple1813 Likes this wine: 93 Points
2020 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay had graceful elegance and aromatic depth. Bottled under a convenient screwcap, the youthful Margaret River Chardonnay was clear and pale lemon in colour without any sediments. It opened up considerably over two hours of in-bottle aeration. Generous aromas of green apple, apricot, honeysuckle and green herbs were followed by white bread, smoke and hazelnut.
The mouthfeel was dry and verging full-bodied, with a rather high level of precise acidity. The piquant acidity and mineral tension provided a splendid structure on the mid-palate. Flavours of lemon zest, fresh pear and pineapple transitioned to butted toast and saline minerals in a long, delineated finish. The alcohol level was at 13.5%. The empty bottle weighed 589 grams. It is definitely going to age well over a decade. If you cannot wait to crack a bottle now, its acidity and richness will allow versatile pairing with a wide range of Chinese dishes, from simple steamed fish to fried lotus and braised pork belly.
From the information on the winery website, the Gingin clone Chardonnay was harvested as whole bunches and pressed into French oak fermentation vessels. The juice underwent complete malolactic fermentation. The wine was raised sur latte in French oak barrels, of which 62% were new and 38% were one to four years old. The blended wine spends another seven months in an inert tank prior to bottling.
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