2020 Heytesbury Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
A warm vintage with low yields. Hand-harvested 5–12 February. Whole-bunch pressed. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 600 NTU. Aged 10 months in French oak, of which 62% new. Seven months in tank after blending. TA 6.7 g/l, pH 3.14. Bottled July 2021. Winemaker Virginia Willcock always worries about how fruity the wine tastes (what she referred to as 'devastating fruit') for the first 6–12 months after bottling, before it starts to show its more savoury, smoky/mineral qualities. She would like to keep the wine longer before release but they are always sold out of this wine for around 6 months of the year. Powerful and tightly wound vintage. High alcohol and high acid. A little more smoky than the 2021, but firmly mineral in its smokiness not oak toastiness. Oak is beautifully subtle, but really present. Clean-cut lime fruit and lime marmalade, outstanding freshness and length. Very very young but already integrated. Opens up to be really powerful and more toasty/smoky. 'The powerhouse that our icon wine should be', suggests winemaker Virginia Wilcock. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
This beautifully composed 2020 Chardonnay Heytesbury carries impressive fruit power with youthful vibrancy. Pristine grapefruit, citrus and floral aromas are precise and rich, all wrapped up in a rich cloak of the highest quality oak. There is a more adolescent feel in the mouth with punchy ripe nectarine fruits and oak delivering exceptional energy and vitality, although the whole package still needs a little time to come together. It will handsomely reward time in the cellar.
This is a brilliant wine that I "tend" to prefer in warmer vintages. The increased phenolic texture of the warmer years suits the funky, complex and textural style of the wine and delivers a distinctly balanced drinking experience early on in its life. So, to the 2020 Heytesbury Chardonnay: there are notes of fresh curry leaf, preserved lemon, wild beach air, white shiso, enoki, Granny Smith apples, grilled peach and pink grapefruit. In the mouth, the wine shows polish and poise amid the tannic framework, and the juicy acidity that pulses in the background imbues the wine with life and beat. Brilliant, as usual.
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.