Chardonnay
Roll over: An exclusive partnership of two extraordinary men who are passionate about producing wines of exceptional quality
French master winemaker Ludwig Vanneron believes the Chardonnay fruit grown in New Zealand is no different to Burgundy, it’s the understanding of terroir and the consistent effort of vine caring that is required. LVCA are looking for flavour concentration with fully ripen grape condition giving a perfect level of phenolic compounds. The fruit is grown in Maraekakaho (a small appellation of Hawkes Bay), being more inland with cooler allows extra time to hang the fruit to reach its full ripeness slowly helping to retain good acidity. Clone B95 is 100% fully fermented in tight-grained French barrels between 10-12 months with occasionally bâttonage. The result with an astonishing pleasant nose of yellow lily and popcorn, with succulent golden peach and tangerine, the rich creamy texture coating bright stone -fruit buttery taste which leaves memorable experience like their brother, Petit Frere.
Roll over: Excellent nerve and acidity with real cut and potential.
One of the finest wines in the portfolio this year is the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent, a taut, youthfully reserved bottling of immense promise. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of citrus zest, beeswax, crisp white peach, white flowers, freshly baked bread and oyster shell, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless, with terrific tensioning intensity in a tightly wound format. It's warmly recommended, though patience will be required. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: Pure crystalline nose, very little reduction - classical left bank Chablis.
Here too the nose is elegant, pure and layered but with more floral and spice nuances adding breadth to the cooler and more restrained aromas. There is both excellent intensity and density to the mineral-driven flavors that terminate in a bone-dry, sneaky long and balanced finale. This too is really very good. 91-93 Burghound
Roll over: Full-bodied palate, with lovely roundness.
Derived from old vines in Les Minots (that are a source for the Fèvre massale selection), as well as holdings in Roncières and Chatains, the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons unwinds in the glass with notes of white flowers, crisp stone fruit and clear honey. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it's a beautifully vibrant, racy wine that concludes with a long, penetrating finish. It's the best young Vaillons I've ever tasted chez Fèvre. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: A wine for Chablis lovers because of its freshness
Consisting of roughly equal parts Montmains, Butteaux and Forêts (the three sous-climats of Montmains), the 2020 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains offers up aromas of crisp green apple, white flowers, bee pollen and oyster shell. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, it's taut and precise, concluding with a saline finish. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: Green and flinty
Derived from 46 hectares of holdings that average around 45 years old, Fèvre's 2020 Chablis Village is a rare example of a cuvée that combines quantity and quality. Offering up aromas of white flowers, clear honey, bread dough and fresh pastry, it's medium-bodied, saline and seamless, with bright acids and a fine-boned, elegant but intensely flavored profile. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: Soulful white. Argentina's answer to Montrachet. James Suckling
The nose of the 2020 White Bones Chardonnay is an explosion of thyme and rockrose, aromatic, open, expressive, outspoken, showy and exuberant. It also has notes of white flowers and citrus, pine needles and incense, continuously developing new layers, curry, something smoky, more and more aromatic herbs, nuanced, complex and with a magnetic attraction that makes you go back to the glass over and over again. This was harvested all at the same time, whereas it was sometimes harvested over four different moments in the past; so this is a bit different and an extraordinary year for this wine, transcending the conditions of the year, with lower alcohol and pH (12.5% and 3.1) than the 2021, despite coming from a warmer year. This is very tasty and long, stony (more than White Stones!) and very persistent. Amazing juice! 5,760 bottles produced. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: Soulful white. Argentina's answer to Montrachet. James Suckling
I had the opportunity to taste two vintages (2020 and 2021) of the top whites side by side and could see the differences of the two years quite clearly, as the wines express the natural conditions of the year quite faithfully. The 2020 White Stones Chardonnay is riper than the other three wines; it's a very good wine, but it shows the warmer year with a rounder mouthfeel, faintly creamy, still a little closed in the nose, which slowly reveals yellow fruit and some spice. The palate is quite gentle, with 13% alcohol and very good balance. 7,500 bottles produced. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: Leeuwin Estate is one of the five founding wineries in the Margaret River wine region of Western Australia.
The 2020 vintage in Margaret River was moderate to warm and will be forever remembered for the incredibly compacted harvest period, which started two weeks earlier than the 2019 harvest before it and was all wrapped up by Easter—that's largely unheard of. The 2020 Art Series Chardonnay leads with power and density, not unlike the 2018 before it. Tight and green in the glass, you get salted pear, white peach, nectarine, red apple skins, preserved citrus and crushed shell. The wine has minerality and tension within the confines of the opulent fruit. Staggering length, as usual. The winemaking remains relatively consistent across the years: hand-picked fruit from Block 20 and 22 (planted in 1976 and 1978, respectively). Thirty percent of the cuvée was whole bunch pressed to 100% new Burgundian oak, while the balance was destemmed, crushed and pressed to 100% new Bordelais oak. Sulfured post-ferment in order to discourage malolactic fermentation, both components remain in barrel for 11 months. Super wine. Robert Parker.com 98points
Roll over: There is a saying "once you start to fall under wine's spell, all roads will lead you to Burgundy."
Dominique Lafon was the first Côte d'Or superstar to expand his holdings into the Mâconnais followed by Domaine Leflaive. They have breathed new life and prestige into this cooperative dominated region. Les Héritieres du Comte Lafon produces wines ranging from generic Mâcon up to four single-vineyard wines. With the same biodynamic techniques as used in his Meursault domaine, Lafon has crafted a range of delicious wines that show the regions true potential.
The cool essence of apple, spice and lemon-lime elements leads to ripe, delicious and generous proportioned flavors that also possess good vibrancy on the very dry but not really austere finale that is a bit firmer still. While this could easily be enjoyed young, it should also repay a few years of cellaring. Burghound
Roll over: The meeting of two winemakers from the two hemispheres.
The 2020 season was very cool—it snowed during vintage—and the wine spent an extended time in oak: 26 months, as opposed to 32 months for the 2019 and 17 months for the 2018. The yield this year was one barrel more than the 2019, another interesting point. So, the 2020 Cuvée Aux Antipodes Blanc feels the sweet spot in terms of minerality and savoriness—it is restrained and composed and aromatically voluminous. In the mouth, the wine touches both extremes. The composure of the fruit is enlivened by the electricity from the acidity, and the combination is a truly exciting and svelte drinking experience. It's really, really good. The phenolics are tightly woven and flowing through the finish, and these grab the flavor and propel it further into the finish. Remarkable wine. Superb. Nine barrels were made. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under Diam. 97 Robert Parker.com
Prophet’s Rock know that great wines begin in the vineyard. That’s why they embrace an approach to winemaking that shares the splendour of the place rather than pronounced winemaking characteristics. The result Iconic wines that invoke Central Otago’s striking, unforgettable beauty.
Roll over: 100% Hawkes Bay Chardonnay
The very first job of Chardonnay is to be refreshing.
A bouquet of purity and focus with scents of fresh red apple and peach, citrus and moments of pith. There’s a definitive layer of stone and clay mineral then soft barrel scents, lees and complexities from the synergies presented. Satin cream textures touch the palate first then flavours of citrus, apple and white peach. As the wine opens out in glass and becomes ambient the impact of acidity, ripe fruits and soil mineral qualities begin to emerge. Taut, youthful and dry, a lengthy finish with a fine mealy mouthfeel and developing complexity. Best drinking from 2024 through 2032. 95 points Cameron Douglas MS
Pair with good friends, crayfish, risotto, chargrilled chicken or well seasoned fish.
Helio is the side project put together by talented Clearview winemakers Sarah & Matt Kirby and wine entrepreneur Dave Nash.
Roll over: The pride of Tasmania
Classic Tolpuddle backbone of acidity, yellow grapefruit, lemon pith, and some flinty minerality. A combination of lightness, delicacy and texture.
Roll over: A wine for Chablis lovers because of its freshness
The 2021 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is a lovely classic, unwinding in the glass to reveal aromas of white flowers, citrus zest, crisp green apple and oyster shells, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive palate that's pure, layered and structured, concluding with a penetrating finish. This will reward a bit of patience. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: Full-bodied palate, with lovely roundness.
The 2021 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons reveals a perfumed bouquet of white flowers, citrus zest, crisp orchard fruit and shells, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless palate that's bright and charming, with a pure, elegant profile. This has turned out beautifully. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: Excellent nerve and acidity with real cut and potential.
The 2021 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent is another of the range's highlights, bursting with aromas of white flowers, sweet citrus oil, white peach and blanched almonds. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless, it's concentrated and complete, with racy acids and a saline, orange blossom-inflected finish. Robert Parker.com
