Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A very assertive nose that has a gently flinty edge, some nicely handled oak and hints of pithy lemon across more peachy stone fruits, tropical hints and a chalky element. Very fresh and tightly wound. The palate is very composed in style, with great depth and oak integration. Long and powerful but quite sleek through the middle. This is tightly coiled for now and releases a slow-burning grilled-nut flavor through the finish. The Aston Martin of chardonnay, with sleek lines and plenty of power under the bonnet. Better in 2018.
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Wine Spectator
Aromatically tight, but expansive and expressive in the mouth, pouring out its pear, green guava and fig flavors in a generous stream, with glints of spice. Comes together smoothly on a deftly balanced frame to let the finish sail on and on.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This time around, I found a not-entirely-attractive hint of grilled sweet corn on the nose of the 2010 Art Series Chardonnay. It's not something I typically enjoy in wine, so it was a relief to find that it didn't persist on the palate, which is more peaches and cashews. Full-bodied, mouthwatering and long, it's still an impressive Chardonnay.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Home to some of Australia’s most elegant and long-lived red and white wines, Margaret River is situated in the farthest reaches of Western Australia. Relatively warm and dry, the region is cooled by breezes from the Indian Ocean. Margaret River takes some inspiration from Bordeaux, producing top-quality Cabernet Sauvignons and Bordeaux Blends with firm structure, mouthwatering acidity, balanced alcohol and notes of herbs and spice. For white wines, refreshing blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon as well as complex, age-worthy Chardonnays are regional specialties.