2021 The Art of Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
The 2021 The Art of Chardonnay lives up to its name, with a vibrant and seductive nose that displays elegant aromas of graham cracker, sweet nectarine, golden apple and lemon meringue. Medium to full-bodied and offering excellent weight and action in the mouth, it continues to uncoil before ending with notes of toast and white peach that sway with seductive notions of buttered brioche. As the Chardonnay reveals its complexities, layers of elegance emerge over the spicy, evolving finish. It's truly a brilliant wine.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Barrel selection from a special single parcel of quartz and clay at 264 m. 50% spontaneous fermentation. 10 months in 30% new oak. Clones 96 and 95. Whole bunch and straight into barrel. 100% malo (unusual in Hemel) but no stirring. 10–15% picked earlier for acidity. A wine made from older blocks. It is racy and rich. There’s lots of pleasure here. 100% malo means there is no filtration. A rich start and dry, appetising, structured finish. (JR)
The 2021 Chardonnay Art of Chardonnay comes from the oldest block around 20-years old, around half fermented using wild yeast, a selection of the best 15-18 barrels, matured in 30% new oak. It has quite a powerful nose with grilled walnuts and toasted almonds, quite Meursault-like in style. The palate is very well balanced with lemon rind and orange pith, that subtle nuttiness becoming more prominent towards the persistent finish. This is superb…as usual.