Vasse Felix Estate Chardonnay 2024

*All tasting notes supplied by Vasse Felix.com…

Campbell Mattinson, The Winefront “This is a damn beautiful chardonnay. I mean, hot damn. It’s so juicy, so fruity, so lively and generous but also, simultaneously, so flinty, so refined and so complex. This is a buy/drink by the bucketload proposition. It tastes of grapefruit, lemonade, a range of citrus fruits and a mix of pears and peaches. At every step, it is 100% delicious. Plus.”

Matthew Jukes “I am not messing around when I say this is the most impressive wine under this estate label ever made. It resembles Heytesbury in many respects, but it is more open and engaging meaning you can drink it now. I cannot underline enough just what a magnificent discover this wine is!”

Andrew Caillard MW, Vintage Journal “Pale colour. Intense grapefruit, yellow peach, nectarine, hint vanilla aromas with bitter lemon notes. Creamy and expressive with ample pure grapefruit, ripe peach, marzipan, flavours, fine slinky/ light chalky textures, lovely mid-plate viscosity and well-balanced fresh acidity. Some toasty complexity at the finish. This is about as good as it gets with this price point. 10 months maturation in 30% and seasoned French oak barriques followed by five months in tank. A great success. Punches well above its price point. Drink now – keep for a while.”

Ryan Montgomery, James Suckling "What a great release, fresh and mineral yet showing a touch of the sun from the warmer vintage. Aromas of Meyer lemons, oyster shell, shortbread, crushed river stones and grapefruit pith. The refined palate is tightly wound with focused acidity and underlying power that will only develop. So much generosity with a hint of funk, pure drive and a precise, compact style. Excellent. Drink or hold. Screw cap."

Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion  "While it rightly reveals the openness of the warm vintage with its flavour profile, this remains a stylish wine underscored by lovely acidity and some funky detail. White peach, grapefruit and preserved lemon with an oyster shell briny note and grilled nuts, so there’s a savoury element, too. Plus, a whisper of moreish sulphides and superfine lees add a level of complexity across the palate. Refreshing and delicious."

Ray Jordan “A slightly more generous style of chardonnay, showing richness and concentration while retaining fine linear precision. Minerally lemon curd with a savoury edge, intense and sustained. One of the best under this label”.

Vintage Report: The 2024 vintage was early and fast-paced. An early spring, the warmest in memory, saw below-average rainfall, leading to early flowering, veraison, and fantastic growing conditions for the canopies. Summer brought no rainfall and sustained warmth, with no extremes, ensuring most fruit ripened without damage. Harvest began in mid-January with Wilyabrup Chardonnay, displaying great balance and flavour. Sauvignon Blanc followed, with slightly lower yields but ripe fruit flavours. The Marri blossom was phenomenal this year, keeping bird pressure to almost zero. Despite the early start and warm, consistent conditions, the fruit quality was beyond expectations.