2018 Walter Scott Chardonnay Seven Springs Vineyard

Pale yellow-gold. Fresh honeydew melon, Meyer lemon, pear nectar, oyster shell and toasted brioche on the deeply perfumed, mineral-driven nose. Juicy and expressive on the palate, offering densely packed yet energetic citrus and orchard fruit and sweet butter flavors plus a nervy suggestion of gingery spices. Shows impressive energy and mineral drive on the strikingly long, focused finish, which features a suave floral quality and resonating smokiness. Like all of the Walter Scott Chardonnays, this wine is not at all about fruit, in the best sense. 40% new oak.

The south ridge of the Seven Springs Vineyard is planted on a rocky volcanic Nekia clay bench that runs along the coveted east slope of the Eola-Amity Hills. The vines get the gentle morning sun and are protected from the intense afternoon heat. Walter Scott is one of the few wineries given access to Seven Springs Vineyard, outside of Evening Land. Fermented with ambient yeast and aged in 500- and 350-litre barrels (40% new) for 12 months and finished for 3 months in stainless-steel tank. Minimal lees stirring. pH c 3.15 post malolactic conversion. 390 cases produced. This has a little more obvious reductive struck-match character than the Cuvée Anne and a touch more spice, though the former is less obvious after the wine has been aerated. The fruit is still citrus-driven but smells a little richer and broader with a touch of orange and orange pith and even veering towards just-ripe pineapple as it opens, though the winemaking is obscuring some of those fruit aromas at the moment. More savoury and mealy on the palate, a little more chewy, dare I say, more burgundian? Here the freshness is just as intense as in the Cuvée Anne, thanks not only to the acidity but also to a more salty quality on the finish. This certainly has more power and structure, and greater persistence, more sinew than flesh, but I don’t think it should be broached for at least a year, preferably two. Mouth-watering and savoury/salty aftertaste. I think this is likely to age the longest of the three Walter Scott Chardonnays tasted but I have not tried vintages with more bottle age. Classy, intense, perfectly balanced already. A real beauty. I love the slight grip in the texture. (JH)