Vasse Felix Premier Chardonnay

Vasse Felix Premier Chardonnay bottle image

Wine Description

A pure, elegant and vibrant style of Chardonnay, embracing the region's powerful fruit with complexity and restraint to express the environment, with the hallmarks of Vasse Felix's premier vineyards.

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Acclaim
“Green-hued straw-yellow. A highly perfumed nose displays fresh melon, poached pear, vanilla and fennel and lemon curd scents, and floral nuances build in the glass. Shows impressive power and focus on the palate, offering mineral-accented Meyer lemon, nectarine and honeydew flavors that pick up a gingery nuance on the back half. Emphatically echoes the floral and pear notes on the impressively long, subtly sweet finish, which shows firm cut and a hint of toasty lees."
— Vinous, Jul 2021
“The medium to full-bodied 2016 Chardonnay hints at struck match and roasted cashews on the nose. Showing some honeyed development alongside the apple, pear and citrus flavors, it should be consumed over the next year or so.”
— Wine Advocate, Jan 2020
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
selected sites throughout Margaret River
Soil composition
deep gravel loam soil over clay
Training method
VSP
Exposure:
Various
Year vineyard planted:
1996-2008
Harvest time:
Feb-16
First vintage of this wine:
2013
Average Vine Age:
10 - 20 yo
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Chardonnay
Fermentation container:
Barriques
Malolactic fermentation:
Partial
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Size of aging container:
225L
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
9 months
Age of Aging Container:
42% new, 58% 1-2 year old
Length of bottle aging:
6 months
Total SO2
149
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.2
Acidity:
6.9 g/L
Alcohol:
13 %
Dry extract:
21 g/L
Total SO2
149
Residual sugar:
1.3 g/L
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Wine Production

The fruit was hand-harvested and chilled, gently whole-bunch pressed and transferred to French oak barriques as unclarified juice for fermentation with only natural yeasts from the vineyard. We allowed this vintage to undergo Malolactic Fermentation due to its high natural acids, resulting in a softer acidity. Each parcel was left on lees in barrel for 9 months of maturation with battonage, 100% French oak (42% new, 58% 1-2 yo)

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About the Vineyard

Moderate spring conditions at the end of 2015 helped establish a healthy fruitset and better yields than the previous two seasons. January temperatures were warm, interrupted by one rainfall event late in the month, great viticulture management, clean, well-trimmed canopies and subsequent warm weather prevented disease risk. White varieties were harvested throughout February with elegant flavours and bright natural acidity.