2015 Reserve Chardonnay
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Hand-picked between 3 and 6 February. Whole-bunch pressed followed by 100% barrel fermentation in select French oak (approx 30% new). Spontaneous fermentation. Barrels were lees-stirred throughout a nine-month maturation period, without any malolactic conversion. TA 8.2 g/l, pH 3.12, RS 2.4 g/l. Ripe stone fruit with a touch of orange. Spicy and creamy and more open than the 2021. A little bit woody (not oaky), too. On the palate, very tight and yet with the same fine equilibrium between acidity and creamy texture. Toasty aftertaste and still so youthful. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Reserve Chardonnay is concentrated and intense, in line with the vintage—reverberating line of flavor in the mouth. This undulates and ripples. Initially, there is fresh crushed curry leaf on the nose, but in the mouth, the wine is pure fruit. It is flooded with white peach, preserved lemon, brine, juniper, saltbush, a hint of bay leaf and all sorts of exciting maritime characters. There's even a sensation of nori?? Awesome. This has plenty of time to go before the fruit shrugs off its primary coat.
All Gingin clone. Whole-bunch pressed. 35% new oak. Nine months’ ageing. No malo. Certainly not opulent; there is (just) enough fruit and a slight bitterness on the finish but it’s a worthy example of Margaret River delicacy and light grapefruit raciness. (JR)