2020 Octagon Block Mixed Case
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Tasting notes
Instant sophistication on the nose: oak spice, butter, oatmeal, melon, pineapple, green apple, even a bit of banana candy. Would you guess this was from such an apparently cool climate? Perhaps the acid is the clue, but the point is that this would catch-out any number of Burgophiles – and it is maturing very well too, with a long, complex persistence. (RH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The 2020 Chardonnay Octogan Vineyard comes from a season when July saw ten days above 35°C before it rained with 100mm at the end of September. It has a lucid color in the glass, still youthful. It's well-defined on the nose, with hints of lemon curd and that leitmotif of Clementine. Crushed stone hints emerge with time. The palate is wonderful, a silver bead of acidity that cuts through the pithy yellow fruit mixed with pear and a trace of peach skin. The finish has good weight with just a dab of spice and a hint of lees on the aftertaste. Excellent.
Just bottled before the 2022 harvest. To be released in 2023. A bit richer on the nose than the regular Chardonnay but very much a relative of it. Lemon and pineapple nose. Real grip here. A bit denser and more complex. But it’s not there yet. Lots going on underneath. (JR)