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

Our most unique small vineyard sections where clone, aspect and soil interplay in such a way to ignite stunning varietal and wild yeast characters. A beautiful cool season saw Chardonnay picked three weeks later than the last 10 years, with elegant fruit perfumes, ideal sugar levels and high acidity. Malolactic fermentation was encouraged, though it is not an obvious feature of the wine. Due to the cool conditions, 52% of the fruit was Selectiv machine harvested to extract additional fine flavours from the skins before pressing. After settling for a short time, the cloudy juice was transferred straight to barrel. The remaining balance was hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed and transferred direct to barrel as unclarified juice. The wine was fermented with only natural yeasts from the vineyard and remained in barrel for nine months with some battonage. The fruit was 100% Gingin clone from Wilyabrup and Wallcliffe. 

Tasting Notes

Elegant, fragrant notes of hazelnut, mealy wafer and brioche intertwine with grapefruit, hints of fine lemon pith and honey dew melon. Underlying tones of candlewax, champignon, ginger and fennel also play a part in this complex perfume.

A satin light entrance builds to a long, tangy dry finish filled with delicate characters reminiscent of peach custard brioche, hazelnuts and candle wax, supported by fine lemon pith and anise

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

All Products →

Wine Production

Our most unique small vineyard sections where clone, aspect and soil interplay in such a way to ignite stunning varietal and wild yeast characters. A beautiful cool season saw Chardonnay picked three weeks later than the last 10 years, with elegant fruit perfumes, ideal sugar levels and high acidity. Malolactic fermentation was encouraged, though it is not an obvious feature of the wine. Due to the cool conditions, 52% of the fruit was Selectiv machine harvested to extract additional fine flavours from the skins before pressing. After settling for a short time, the cloudy juice was transferred straight to barrel. The remaining balance was hand-harvested, whole-bunch pressed and transferred direct to barrel as unclarified juice. The wine was fermented with only natural yeasts from the vineyard and remained in barrel for nine months with some battonage. The fruit was 100% Gingin clone from Wilyabrup and Wallcliffe. 

Tasting Notes

Elegant, fragrant notes of hazelnut, mealy wafer and brioche intertwine with grapefruit, hints of fine lemon pith and honey dew melon. Underlying tones of candlewax, champignon, ginger and fennel also play a part in this complex perfume.

A satin light entrance builds to a long, tangy dry finish filled with delicate characters reminiscent of peach custard brioche, hazelnuts and candle wax, supported by fine lemon pith and anise

Brand Materials

Tech Sheet Download Bottle Shot Download Acclaim Linkout
95
POINTS
“Pale, bright-hued yellow. Intense, smoke-accented aromas of white peach, Anjou pear and Meyer lemon, along with a bright floral overtone and a touch of iodine. Juicy and densely packed, displaying a suave interplay of depth and vivacity to the citrus and orchard fruit and buttered toast flavors. Picks up a vibrant mineral nuance with air and shows outstanding clarity and back-end lift. The impressively long, incisive finish echoes the floral and citrus fruit notes and betrays zero rough edges. Two-thirds new French oak."
Vinous
95
POINTS
“Cool, stone aromas with subtle cooked apples and lemons. Cream and floral undertones. Full body. Layered and flavorful with so much intensity of fruit and cellar finesse. Yet, always subtle and tight. Full and fresh.” (#98)
James Suckling
95
POINTS
“Cool, stone aromas with subtle cooked apples and lemons. Cream and floral undertones. Full body. Layered and flavorful with so much intensity of fruit and cellar finesse. Yet, always subtle and tight. Full and fresh.”
James Suckling
94
POINTS
“The 2017 Heytesbury Chardonnay ratchets up the intensity level, from the toasted hazelnut aromas to the white peach and ripe pineapple flavors. It's still only medium-bodied, but it seems rounder and more generous in the mouth, with a silky texture that lingers on the finish. It's a clear step up from the two other Chardonnays in the VF lineup, but it's also priced accordingly.”
Wine Advocate
92
POINTS
“A leaner style in a cooler year, with less fruit weight, funk and texture. Normally hand picked and whole-bunch pressed, 52% was machine harvested, extracting additional flavour from the skins. Flinty, zesty, toasty nose, with steely grapefruit and green pineapple to the firm, focused palate. With a deft touch of nougat sweetness, the oak balances and enhances, bringing structure and nutty, spicy lift and resonance to the finish.”
Decanter
92
POINTS
"A leaner style in a cooler year, with less fruit weight, funk and texture. Normally hand picked and whole-bunch pressed, 52% was machine harvested, extracting additional flavour from the skins. Flinty, zesty, toasty nose, with steely grapefruit and green pineapple to the firm, focused palate. With a deft touch of nougat sweetness, the oak balances and enhances, bringing structure and nutty, spicy lift and resonance to the finish."
Decanter
16.5+ out of 20
“Rather obvious reduction on the nose slightly occludes the fruit, which is pretty dry and uncompromising at the moment. It probably just needs time. Lots of texture has been built! But it’s all in the future. I'm sure, on track record, it will get there but for now, head for the 2017 Premier.”
Jancis Robinson
“Pale lemon. Reductive, with clove oak and spice, melon and ripe pear fruit. Precise, crisp and clean. Nutty, spicy oak with some palate reduction. Tightly wound.” (16.5 points out of 20)
Jancis Robinson

Vineyard & Production Info

Vineyard name:
Selected sites throughout Margaret River
Soil composition:
deep gravel loam soil over clay
Exposure:
Various
Year vineyard planted:
1996-2008
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:
Barriques
Malolactic fermentation:
Full
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
9 months
Age of Aging Container:
53% new, 47% 1-3 year old

Analytical Data

pH level:
3.1
Acidity:
6.3 g/L
Alcohol:
13 %
Residual sugar:
0.9 g/L

About the Vineyard

2017 was a cooler and later vintage than the previous 10 years; a year of elegant, perhaps slightly lighter bodied wines, though ripe in flavour, vibrant and very perfumed. Higher than average yields in combination with a cooler season contributed to delayed ripening of the fruit and good acid retention. With the cooler weather, canopy management and fruit thinning was imperative to mitigate disease pressures and allow for even, persistent ripening. 

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