Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
2013 was a very low-yielding year here, and the fruit for the 2013 Chardonnay was exclusively picked from the Lagan Estate Vineyard (usually reserved for the Reserve Chardonnay). 2013 was the first year that wild ferment was encouraged in all of the components. As ever, malolactic fermentation was discouraged. This is really exciting and quite different from its peers. There is a distinct plump juicy character to the acidity, while the fruit strays to the floral, peachy, orchard fruit end of the spectrum. It's very cool to see this wine, and the fact that the fruit source was the Lagan Estate Vineyard was never publicized—it's a neat little insider tip. There is plenty of time left, here. This is very fine, for all the volume. Purity. Clarity. Best After 2022
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.