Winemaker Notes
Vasse Felix Chardonnay is typified by its bright, elegant fruit, subtle wild complexities, and a tight acid structure, reflecting the vibrancy and purity of this variety in Margaret River. 'Filius' translates to 'son of' in Latin, reflecting the relationship between this wine and its premier 'father'. Bright pale straw color. Light notes of pineapple, grapefruit and crunchy nectarine purity provide a bright fruit base. French oak and time on yeast lees contribute delicious secondary layers of ginger, vanilla biscuit, almond meal, and lemon curd. Light and fine, in touch with delicate citrus flavor, a hint vanilla biscuit, and a zesty polished acid tang. It delivers a spotless palate that evokes a mouth-watering, river stone dryness coupled to a fine savory, silky texture.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Vasse Felix was the first vineyard and winery founded in Margaret River, in 1967. Heytesbury Chardonnay is its icon white (£60), Premier the mid-tier, and its ‘son’ (Filius) is modestly priced, yet delivers a taste of that famous house style: buttery oak, apple crumble, sweet peach, vibrant acidity. Hay Shed Hill and Xanadu’s Estate Chardonnay are other quality buys at a similar price.
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Wine & Spirits
Virginia Willcock selects less concentrated lots of chardonnay from Vasse Felix’s estate vineyards for Filius, fermenting them with ambient yeasts and limiting the new oak. Her 2018 is cool and zesty, the juicy nectarine flavors integrated with a little spice from oak tannins and lasting with leesy length. Pour it with a crayfish boil.
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.