2017 Heytesbury Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
Hand-harvested 1–17 March 2017, three weeks later than usual. A small proportion was machine harvested because they like to have some skin contact in cooler vintages in order to get more flavour. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 550 NTU. Nine months in French oak, 53% new, two months in tank after blending. TA 6.3 g/l, pH 3.14. Bottled January 2018. Much more herbal than the younger vintages, dusty more than smoky. Leaner and more cedary on the palate, less creamy, still balanced but less giving. Lighter weight because it was the coolest vintage in 15 years. Long and stony/mineral. 'More like Yarra Valley', suggests winemaker Virginia Willcock. In cooler vintages they avoid 100% whole-bunch pressing because it might be too 'stemmy', giving unripe flavours. I've been far more conservative with my suggested drinking dates but the ageing trajectory of the Heytesbury can be surprising. A pretty good result for such a cool vintage. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Tim Jackson MW, jancisrobinson.com
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Pale, bright-hued yellow. Intense, smoke-accented aromas of white peach, Anjou pear and Meyer lemon, along with a bright floral overtone and a touch of iodine. Juicy and densely packed, displaying a suave interplay of depth and vivacity to the citrus and orchard fruit and buttered toast flavors. Picks up a vibrant mineral nuance with air and shows outstanding clarity and back-end lift. The impressively long, incisive finish echoes the floral and citrus fruit notes and betrays zero rough edges. Two-thirds new French oak.
Melon, pineapple, vanilla, cream, white chocolate. Moderate acidity, lovely biscuity undertone with a firm acidic outline giving structure. No excess oak – in fact, hardly any perceptible spice to speak of. Streamlined, but still recognisably Chardonnay, and the fruit is typically Aussie. Will age well. (RH)
Rather obvious reduction on the nose slightly occludes the fruit, which is pretty dry and uncompromising at the moment. It probably just needs time. Lots of texture has been built! But it’s all in the future. I'm sure, on track record, it will get there but for now, head for the 2017 Premier. (JR)
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.