Vasse Felix Chardonnay 2017
- Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Mint, marzipan and lemon fruit aromas. Concentrated palate, mellow but tangy with citrus fruit and creaminess and a pithy finish.
-
James Suckling
Complex and together white with cooked-apple, lemon-peel and cream aromas and flavors. Medium body, solid palate and a fresh and vivid finish. Always an excellent chardonnay. Drink or hold. Screw cap.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Chief winemaker Virginia Willcock and her team once again deliver the goods with this beautifully balanced and multifaceted Chardonnay. More immediately approachable and showing less oak than the Heytesbury, it offers a noseful of lemon balm and orange rind and brioche with salted nuts and a little smokiness at the rear. The palate is creamy yet chalky with the toasty, nutty and citrus characters shining through, finishing long and savory. This could cellar for another five to seven years but good luck waiting that long. Negociants USA–Winebow. Editors’ Choice
-
Wine & Spirits
Part of Vasse Felix’s “Premier” range, this comes mostly from estate-owned vineyards in Karridale and Wilyabrup, including a contribution from its new vineyard in Wallcliffe. Virginia Willcock ferments the unclarified juice spontaneously in barriques (48 percent new), then lets it rest in barrel for nine months with its lees. That oak aging plays a major role, adding scents of Marcona almond and macadamia nut to the fresh, juicy apple flavors. It’s a smoky, bold and broad wine with a quiet complexity that will gain prominence with age.
-
Wine Spectator
The oak treatment in the 2017 Chardonnay is so subtle, it comes across as more of a lees-induced richness than wood. It adds another layer of generosity to the crisp citrus and pineapple fruit that dominates this wine's medium-bodied palate. Overall, this is plump and frankly delicious, with those citrus notes lingering elegantly on the long finish.
Other Vintages
2021-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & - Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine & -
Wong
Wilfred -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
- Decanter
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
Established in 1967 by regional pioneer Dr Tom Cullity, Vasse Felix is Margaret River's founding wine estate. Pristine isolation, ancient lands and twin oceans make Margaret River a wine paradise and one of the world’s greatest environments to grow ultra-premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. These varieties, alongside Shiraz and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends are the primary focus at Vasse Felix. All wines are grown in Vasse Felix’s four Margaret River vineyards then vinified and bottled within the modern winery, situated at the Home Vineyard overlooking the Wilyabrup Brook. The Vasse Felix Cellar Door - also located at the Home Vineyard - is renowned. Featuring a tasting room, wine lounge, art gallery, wine museum and one of Australia's most acclaimed restaurants, visitors are welcomed from all around the world, eager for the ultimate Vasse Felix experience.
There are many things that make Vasse Felix the special place it is: the incredible environment and climate of Margaret River, their secure family ownership, their treasured heritage, and their priceless vineyards. But above all, it's the dedication of the entire team to continue Dr Cullity's original aim for Vasse Felix: "to make the best possible wine".
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.