2012 Heytesbury Chardonnay
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Light yellow-gold. Complex, mineral-accented bouquet evokes fresh pear, Meyer lemon, honeysuckle, iodine and lime zest, along with a hint of pungent herbs. Racy and pure, boasting intense citrus pith and mineral flavors and a deeper note of bitter pear skin in the mid-palate. This incisive, sharply focused chardonnay finishes with very good energy and lingering minerality.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
64% new oak. Current release (Jan 2014). Blast of lemon fruit at the moment, stone fruit and pineapple. Bit of bacon fat. Always like this early in bottle, apparently. Then the fruit rides down and the savoury character comes up. Mealy, leesy texture and flavour underneath. (JH)
The nose of the 2012 Heytesbury Chardonnay is laced with aromas of lemon peel, mandarin oil, shaved almonds and cedar plus nuances of sulphides, brioche and fresh grapefruit. The citrusy goodness in intensified in the medium-bodied mouth with layers of toast, judiciously placed oak and a sprinkling of nuts plus a lovely silken texture to compliment and refreshing acid line, finishing with great length. Still very youthful and tight-knit, it should reward cellaring and drink to 2019+. 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.