2011 Heytesbury Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
Smoky and toasty and a bit of struck match – reduction – gives the high note. Lots of lime fruit underneath but definitely not a fruit-forward wine. Leaner fruit than the 2010 but full in the mouth with all that texture and weight. Fabulous freshness and length. Great concentration. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Lots of concentration and savour here. Zest and lift and very accomplished. (Not sure I have ever written that word before, let alone in a tasting note.) Real tension and future with green vegetal notes but not undernourished nor underripe. Real presence and, for once, persistence. (JR)
The 2011 Heytesbury Chardonnay displays coy, youthfully mute aromas of white peach, orange blossom and cedar with suggestions of crushed stones, allspice, ground ginger and cashews. Tightly knit in the medium-bodied mouth, it is packed with taut citrus, peach, pear and mineral flavors offset by a very good acid line and gentle silkiness to the texture. The finish is long with the toast and nuts flavors coming through. It really needs another year at least in bottle and should drink best 2014 to 2020+. Importer: Negociants USA, Napa, CA; Tel. (707) 259-0993.
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.