2012 Springfield Estate Chardonnay Méthode Ancienne

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 90.8 points

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  2/12/2023 - Mckalm Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Gul, bra syra, fint integrerade fat, rund, smakrik, trpiska frukter, jättegod

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  7/16/2021 - forceberry wrote: 92 Points

  The Méthode Ancienne here means that the wine is made in the old, Burgundian way: the must is first hyperoxidized i.e. browned, then fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in new 600-liter demi-muids and 2nd use 300-liter puncheons. Aged on the lees for 12 months in the same barrels. Bottled unfined and unfiltered. 14% alcohol, 3 g/l residual sugar, 6,1 g/l acidity, pH 3,3 and 16 mg/l free SO2. Tasted blind.
  
  Concentrated neon yellow color with faint lime-green highlights. Big, concentrated and quite sweet-toned nose with lush, fruit-forward aromas of brown banana, honey, some overripe pineapple, light fruit cocktail notes, a little bit of caramel oak spice, a hint of mango and a Beerenauslese-like hint of fruit marmalade. The wine is bold, concentrated and full-bodied on the palate, but also surprisingly fresh and structured at the same time. Intense flavors of ripe pineapple and spicy red apple, some creamy notes of panna cotta, light oaky notes of savory wood spice, a little bit of honeyed richness, tropical hints of mango and brown banana and a touch of vanilla. The overall feel is noticeably ripe, concentrated and sweet-toned, yet the wine retains good sense of balance and structure, all thanks to its high acidity. The finish is ripe, powerful and juicy with a lengthy and surprisingly fresh aftertaste of overripe pineapple and bruised apple, some creamy oak tones, a little bit of savory wood spice, light tropical notes of mango, a hint of vanilla and a touch of toasty caramel oak.
  
  From the first sniff I thought this wine is definitely not in my wheelhouse, but it managed to surprise me big time on the palate, coming across as remarkably fresh, balanced and precise despite its noticeably ripe and rather oaky overall character. It's fun, though, how the producer says this "Méthode Ancienne" bottling is made in a very old world style, being markedly different from their other, more "new world" style of wines, but in our blind tasting almost everybody exclaimed that this is wine is all about new world, most likely is Chardonnay, and the only question is "where from"? Although South Africa wasn't the first guess, it didn't take us that long to end up there. Nevertheless, I must admit that even though the wine is made in a style that is not really my cup of tea, this is a remarkably well-made, balanced and even quite complex wine. Even if I'm not the biggest fan of the style, I found the wine quite enjoyable for what it is. If you like big, bold and oaky Chardonnays, this is actually a wine definitely worth checking out (and you can add a few points to my score). Drinking really well right now, but most likely will continue to improve for at least a handful of years more, if not longer. Nice!

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  3/29/2021 - rosuoter wrote:

  Medium gold. Toast, honey, tropical fruit, orchard fruit on the nose, medium body with rather alevated acidity, seems a little bit disjointed at this stage. Hopefully it will improve with a few more years in the cellar.

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  5/19/2019 - Pålla Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Fantastisk, tropisk litt fat, veldig god sødme, kan drikkes uten mat

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