2015 Kevin John Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
I remember judging at a major wine show in Western Australia in 2016 and seeing a very large bracket of Western Australian Chardonnays from the 2015 vintage. I was staggered but the power and concentration of them as a group, and it is an impression that has left an indelible mark upon my assessment of the vintage since then. This 2015 Kevin John Chardonnay has penetrating acidity that spears through the heart of the opulent fruit in the mouth, with yellow peach and singed mango in abundance. The spice register carries across from ginger, cardamom, saffron and pepper, making for an altogether savory, nutty style of wine. 2015 had a bit of the magic swirling about it, and while most of the Chardonnays produced in the season in Margaret River are concentrated, some are extra elevated above the pack. This is one of those. For those interested, the wine has a pH of 3.5, total acidity of 8.0 grams and 13.7% alcohol. Sealed under screw cap.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Halliday
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Shimmering straw-gold. Highly perfumed, mineral- and spice-accented aromas of fresh pear, peach nectar, vanilla, iodine and jasmine; a smoky nuance builds in the glass. Sappy, seamless and energetic on the palate, offering intense orchard and pit fruit flavors braced by dusty mineral and orange pith flourishes. Clings impressively on the mineral-driven finish, which leaves toasty lees, vanilla and ripe citrus fruit notes behind. This wine saw 75% new French oak.
Picked on fruit and flower days, wild-fermented in French barriques for 5 months (75% new) and allowed to go through mlf. Wastes no time in asserting its blue blood ancestry with vital freshness and citrussy acidity retained despite the mlf. The layers of white flowers, white flesh stone fruit and grapefruit will become progressively richer and more complex with age, but it's so well balanced and full of life there is every reason to enjoy this chardonnay young. Feb 2017, www.winecompanion.com.au, Drink: 2017-2025
Always one of Australia's finest Chardonnays, the 2015 Kevin John Chardonnay doesn't disappoint. Despite being completely barrel-fermented and aged in 73% new French oak, the toast element is minimal, the wood serving mainly to enhance the medium-bodied wine's textural qualities and amplify the fruit. Refined notes of white peaches and citrus weave in and out, starting quietly but growing in elegant intensity as the wine progresses across the palate, finishing dry, silky and savory on the nearly endless finish. Dec 2017, www.robertparker.com