Winemaker Notes
Bright, aromatic and varietal cut lime, pear and nectarine. Jasmine and frangipani notes give heightened subtleties to the fruit spectrum. Cashew, almond meal, popcorn, chamomile create a gorgeous centre to the nose. Vibrant and ethereal palate - great direction with shape and frame. Energetic and lively citrus fruits meets saline acidity. Gentle nuances of hazelnut, and sweet spice add a complementary layer and contour to the palate.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Prelude Vineyards Chardonnay is a multi-clonal wine: Davis 1, 5, Dijon (95, 96, 76), which is distinct from the Art Series Chardonnay, which is Gingin clone solely. The vineyard sources vary as well as the winemaking practice, allowing the winemaking team to try different processes and vessels in order to tease out different characters and textures. You get almond meal, preserved citrus and graphite. It's complex texturally yet still tight and linear. It's very good—both fresh and satisfying, with lightness and density at once. Flavorsome, lithe and long. Of the designated Prelude batches, 40% to 50% are left unsulfured and stirred twice a week. "Freshness and acidity are the corridor, and we build texture and complexity around that," says Chief Winemaker Tim Lovett.
Rating: 93+
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Decanter
There's an oceanic quality to the nose; lime blossom and sea shells. Fresh, evolving and textured with layered complex lingering on mid palate then clean moreish finish.
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James Suckling
Aromas of baked lemons, pink grapefruit, white peaches and sweet thyme. Medium-bodied with rounded texture and bright acidity. Fresh, warm citrus character with white tea spice. Subtle tannins at the finish. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Leeuwin’s entrylevel range consistently proves an excellent intro to this longstanding Margaret River winery. Bright aromas of honeydew melon and white peach are underpinned gently by toast, cream and a saline nuance. The juicy fruit is persistent to the finish, the toasty, mineral notes flanking. Texturally, it’s slippery but also carries some chalky weight
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Wine Spectator
Supple and elegant, with a silky frame, offering a core of fresh lemon, pomelo, apple and pear notes, plus hints of toasted coriander and fennel seed. Drink now. 500 cases imported.
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.