Winemaker Notes
An aromatic and perfumed nose, where Nashi pear, white nectarine,lemon zest and grapefruit provide the foundation of the fruit spectrum with graphiteand brioche subtleties to provide delicate complexity. The palate is energetic, withconcentrated fruits of cut lime, pear, custard-apple. A delicately textured and layeredmid-palate is defined by natural laced acidity, creating the corridor. Savory notes andspice work in symmetry, carrying a long finish with gentle talc-like tension.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The quality of Prelude has scaled up a notch as the estate vines come of age. The ’22 is aromatic and quite pretty. Stone fruit, florals, river stone and creamy, toasty aromas rush from the glass. There’s tangy, tonguetingling acidity in the mouth that nicely counters the creamy textural weight on the palate.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The only thing more heartbreaking than the Chardonnay yields in 2022 is the quality. It's really good—isn't that always the way for us, as drinkers? On the nose, and in the mouth, the 2022 Prelude Vineyards Chardonnay offers us all the richness and concentration that Leeuwin Chardonnay is known for, but it is texturally a little more open weave and "available" than the Art Series. This is layered with white and yellow peach, red apple skins, white pepper, dehydrated orange peel, spring flowers, brine and tobacco. It's a ripping wine. Really smart. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
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Wine Spectator
Offers a plump and succulent mix of salted butterscotch, pear, citrus and grilled peach flavors. There's plenty of energy, with an appealing frame of acidity. Drink now. 300 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.