Vasse Felix

Heytesbury Chardonnay

Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay bottle image
Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay bottle image

POS Materials

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Vasse Felix

Heytesbury Chardonnay

A selection of the most unique and striking vineyard sections, recognised for its innovative winemaking and distinguishing 'Heytesbury' character.

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Wine Production

Similar to the previous season, the 2018 vintage experienced cooler than average conditions. Spring and early Summer delivered intermittent cool then moderate weeks before a run of below average temperatures in January and February. Late January rain led to a fear of disease, however a beautiful period of ripening followed with ample sunshine and strong daily sea breezes preserving vibrant fruit flavours and acidity. Our white varieties ripened with ideal sugar levels and high malic acid content for the third year running, resulting in a desire to allow some natural malolactic ferment in Chardonnays.

Tasting Notes

APPEARANCE Pale straw with a green tinge.

NOSE An enticing, complex array of citrus, lemon/lime rind and pith, with light pineapple and sweet pie crust. Inviting savoury complexities of mushroom, ocean and flinty fire cracker complete the elegant perfume.

PALATE A fleshy entrance with lovely weight and richness is supported by the structure of classic Heytesbury acid and pithy firmness. An almost cuddly core reveals beautiful lemon sponge characters, then finishes dry with hints of fresh sage and stone flint

A selection of the most unique and striking vineyard sections, recognised for its innovative winemaking and distinguishing 'Heytesbury' character.

All Products →

Wine Production

Similar to the previous season, the 2018 vintage experienced cooler than average conditions. Spring and early Summer delivered intermittent cool then moderate weeks before a run of below average temperatures in January and February. Late January rain led to a fear of disease, however a beautiful period of ripening followed with ample sunshine and strong daily sea breezes preserving vibrant fruit flavours and acidity. Our white varieties ripened with ideal sugar levels and high malic acid content for the third year running, resulting in a desire to allow some natural malolactic ferment in Chardonnays.

Tasting Notes

APPEARANCE Pale straw with a green tinge.

NOSE An enticing, complex array of citrus, lemon/lime rind and pith, with light pineapple and sweet pie crust. Inviting savoury complexities of mushroom, ocean and flinty fire cracker complete the elegant perfume.

PALATE A fleshy entrance with lovely weight and richness is supported by the structure of classic Heytesbury acid and pithy firmness. An almost cuddly core reveals beautiful lemon sponge characters, then finishes dry with hints of fresh sage and stone flint

Brand Materials

Tech Sheet Download Bottle Shot Download Acclaim Linkout
98
“Heytesbury has always been a yin and yang wine. It has power, structure and depth yet can appear reticent in its youth. The fruit is fabulous. Wafts of lemon balm, ginger cream and spicy oak too but it is all about the palate - linear, long, super fine, a tight acid line, it has a crushed rock character with moreish flinty sulphides - the list goes on. Everything in sync. It's one heck of a classy chardonnay.” (Best of Chardonnay, 2021 Halliday Wine Companion Awards)
James Halliday
97
POINTS
“Deeply complex and so richly fruited, this is all wrapped in very tautly in a flavor-soaked and seamless chardonnay. Aromas of wet stones, yellow grapefruit, flint, green lemons, fresh oak and white peaches are all tightly arrayed. The palate has mouthwatering punch and crispness. Very assertive and driving with a sleek overall feel, but packed with powerful, pristine white-peach, lemon, apricot and green-mango flavors. So long. This is a modern benchmark.”– #44 among the Top 100 Wines of Australia
James Suckling
97
POINTS
“Deeply complex and so richly fruited, this is all wrapped in very tautly in a flavor-soaked and seamless chardonnay. Aromas of wet stones, yellow grapefruit, flint, green lemons, fresh oak and white peaches are all tightly arrayed. The palate has mouthwatering punch and crispness. Very assertive and driving with a sleek overall feel, but packed with powerful, pristine white-peach, lemon, apricot and green-mango flavors. So long. This is a modern benchmark.”
James Suckling
96
POINTS
“Limpid yellow. Vibrant, gently oak-spiced aromas of fresh citrus and orchard fruits, along with suggestions of anise and smoky minerals. Stains the palate with concentrated yet lively Meyer lemon, Anjou pear and bitter quinine flavors that are sweetened by a subtle vanilla note. Shows superb clarity and minerally thrust on the strikingly long, focused finish, which leaves a suggestion of honeysuckle behind."
Vinous
96
POINTS
“Beautifully opulent with hints of flinty smoke, lemon oil, caramel and apricot on the nose, stone fruit, lemon sherbet and a red apple acidity on the palate.” 
Decanter
96
POINTS
“Beautifully opulent with hints of flinty smoke, lemon oil, caramel and apricot on the nose, stone fruit, lemon sherbet and a red apple acidity on the palate.” (GOLD)
Decanter World Wine Awards
96
POINTS
“One of the most highly regarded Chardonnays in Australia, the 2018 Heytesbury shines. The reductive, flinty style typical to this wine is still there but is more reigned in these days: roasted hazelnuts layered with delicate citrus and stone fruit. The palate is beautifully complex and highly textural, nutty, mineral nuances flowing through to a lengthy finish. Elegant yet powerful, drinking gorgeously now but with the ability to age for several decades.”
Wine Enthusiast
95
POINTS
“Already stretching its limbs, the fuller-bodied 2018 has the most alluring mouthfeel. In a warmer year with a touch more solids, it reveals silky white peach and smoked oyster cream, with saline, flint and mushroom inflections. Ripe pink grapefruit acidity propels the fruit and savoury flavours, maintaining balance and flow. Long and lithe, this harmonious, complex Chardonnay delivers great pleasure now, but will continue to develop.”
Decanter
95
POINTS
"Already stretching its limbs, the fuller-bodied 2018 has the most alluring mouthfeel. In a warmer year with a touch more solids, it reveals silky white peach and smoked oyster cream, with saline, flint and mushroom inflections. Ripe pink grapefruit acidity propels the fruit and savoury flavours, maintaining balance and flow. Long and lithe, this harmonious, complex Chardonnay delivers great pleasure now, but will continue to develop."
Decanter
94
POINTS
“The medium to full-bodied 2018 Heytesbury Chardonnay is rich and dense, intensely concentrated and packed with intricate dried-spice nuances. Notes of crushed stone set the stage, while melon and white peach notes constitute the fruity core, developing taut citrus nuances on the long, refreshing finish.”
Wine Advocate
90
POINTS
“Spicy, featuring tangy lemon curd, apricot and poached pear flavors, showing threads of nutmeg, peppery white flowers and spicy cedar that linger on the finish. Crisp, but with a suppleness to the texture.”
Wine Spectator
“Winemaker Virginia Wilcox is devoted to fermenting each lot of grapes separately and with ambient, or wild, yeast rather than commercial yeast. She reckons this is one of the finest vintages but she has already won massive national acclaim for previous ones. I think there’s a whiff of the nearby Indian Ocean in this.”
Jancis Robinson
“Winemaker Virginia Wilcox is devoted to fermenting each lot of grapes separately and with ambient, or wild, yeast rather than commercial yeast. She reckons this is one of the finest vintages but she has already won massive national acclaim for previous ones. I think there’s a whiff of the nearby Indian Ocean in this.”
Jancis Robinson

Vineyard & Production Info

Production area/appellation:
Margaret River
Vineyard name:
Selected sites throughout Margaret River
Exposure:
Various
Harvest time:
February-March 2018
First vintage of this wine:
1997
Average Vine Age:
10 - 20 yo
Certified Vineyards:
Vasse Felix manages its vineyards organically and is currently completing the process to achieve Organic Certification.
Certifying Organizations:
NASSA

Winemaking & Aging

Prefermentation Technique:
100% wild yeast
Varietal composition:
100% Chardonnay
Fermentation container:
French Barriques
Malolactic fermentation:
Partial
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
9 months
Age of Aging Container:
42% new, 58% 1-3 year old

Analytical Data

pH level:
3.19
Acidity:
6.8 g/L
Alcohol:
13 %
Residual sugar:
1.1 g/L

About the Vineyard

Our most unique small vineyard sections where clone, aspect and soil interplay in such a way to ignite stunning varietal and wild yeast characters. Another cool season for Chardonnay, picked slightly earlier than 2017 and showing more fruit weight and ideal sugar levels. With moderate to high acidity, just over half completed malolactic fermentation. Beautifully ripe skins created a softer Heytesbury in this vintage. Hand-harvested, whole-bunches were pressed and transferred direct to barrel as unclarified juice. The wine was fermented with only natural yeasts from the vineyard and it remained in barrel for 9 months with some battonage. Fruit was 100% Gingin clone. A beautifully rich vintage for Chardonnay where the wines are looking approachable quite early yet will integrate and become deeper with time.

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