Chardonnay Season – Part 2
Barry Weinman: 2 April 2025
Lamonts recently held a tasting of premium Western Australian chardonnays, to get a picture of the quality of the lauded 2023 vintage.
Before the event, the panel sat down to taste the wines, blinded to the composition or order of the wines served. This proved a fantastic opportunity to get a handle on the vintage, and to see which producers excelled.
The clear takeaway from the tasting was the outrageous value that can be found in Western Australian chardonnays.
A number of wines in the tasting sell for well under $100 and even the most expensive wines are less than $200.
You have to look to Grand Cru or Premier Cru Burgundy at 3 – 10 times the price of these wines to start to approach the quality on show here (if you are lucky).
Reviewed
Cullen – Kevin John – Chardonnay – 2023. My tasting notes for this read like a picklist of descriptors for the perfect chardonnay. Peach, nectarine, hints of citrus. Subtlety, suppleness, power, density, seamless, gentle viscosity. The length and persistence of flavours were one of the highlights of the tasting. So surely this must be the best wine? Probably, though it is a very tight run race with the Vasse Felix and Pierro (and Cherubino and Flametree). 97pts.
Pierro – Chardonnay – 2023. It is hard to imagine a better wine, such is the quality here. This has everything that you could ask for in a chardonnay, and then some. Yet somehow, it manages to present as shy and restrained at the same time. A chameleon wine that has the flexibility to be enjoyed on its own, or with a variety of different foods. Winemaking notes add impact in a very positive way. 97pts.
Vasse Felix – Heytesbury – Chardonnay – 2023. This is very impactful, in a very good way. Intense citrus-tinged fruit is what this wine is all about. With the winemaker’s inputs serving to highlight rather than obscure its impact. First impressions are of a somewhat shy wine, but this is underplaying just how good this is. Rather than shy, it is just that here, subtlety is the key. Every component of the wine is outstanding, but it is the way it comes together that makes this special. The palate is oh-so-long on the close. Beautiful. 97pts
Flametree – SRS – Chardonnay – 2023. Classic curry leaf minerality coming through that reminds me of a fine premier cru Burgundy. Excellent fruit, quality oak which is texture enhancing (rather than overtly flavour adding) and supple lees makes for a brilliant wine. But my view is that needs 5 years to really start to open. 96+pts.
Cherubino – Pemberton – Chardonnay – 2023. This is fantastic, if somewhat reserved and closed at present. However the quality of the fruit is palpable, and the oak is very fine indeed. The fruit is in the nectarine spectrum and is the star of the show. The length and textures on the finish round out the package. In 5 – 10 years, this will be a remarkable drink. 96+pts
Stella Bella – Luminosa – Chardonnay – 2023. Fine, refined and restrained, but not lean in any way. The ripe fruit is subtle and supple, yet the palate is endowed with significant depth and power. This wine has it all. Now? Sure, but it will be brilliant any time over the next 5 – 8 years. Gold medal points from the entire panel. 96pts.
Fermoy Estate – Reserve – Chardonnay – 2023. I like this a lot, but it was quite different to most in the tasting. Here, the pristine stonefruit (nectarine) fruit is the highlight. This is mouth-coating, supple and with gentle viscosity. The length of flavours is outstanding. The winemaking (oak and lees work) is virtually invisible, its presence felt in the sheer depth and breadth of the wine across the palate. The best wine I can recall trying from this producer. 96pts.
Deep Woods – Reserve – Chardonnay – 2023. This wine is a masterclass in high-quality chardonnay, with fine, elegant fruit supported by supple, sympathetic winemaking and superb use of oak. Balanced and refined, the refreshing acidity is a highlight. The acidity does, however, hold the fruit back somewhat at this early stage. A wonderful wine in the making. 96pts.
Moss Wood – Chardonnay – 2023. This wine polarised the panel, but I am a fan! Here is what I said. Sublime wine, but here the oak has been given a bit more toast and, at this early stage, adds an overt note to the wine. This is in no way obtrusive but is a key feature. As it warms, this comes together and the fruit really shines, straddling the boundary between citrus and stonefruit. Super wine, but give it time. 95+pts.
Nocturne – Single Vineyard – Chardonnay – 2023. This wine has an extra dimension of complexity and power, with the winemaking inputs really impacting on the nose. This confers a layer of struck-match minerality over the ripe fruit. The palate is textural and powerful, with the savoury minerality again featuring. A much more worked style that suits me, but may not be for everyone. 95+pts.
Picardy – Chardonnay – 2023. Brilliant wine. Polished, supple and beautifully textured, the fine, peach-like fruit is highlighted by balancing acidity and a gentle viscosity on the palate. What struck me about this wine was that it is a fantastic drink right now. With time in the glass, the acid and winemaking inputs certainly start to express as the wine warmed. A bargain! 95+pts.
Singlefile – Family Reserve – Chardonnay – 2023. This sits right in the middle stylistically, with ripe, bright fruit complemented by supple lees and barrel work. The impact of the latter is primarily texture-building rather than overtly imparting flavour. The acidity tends toward tropical/pineapple. Would benefit from a few years to flesh out, but is a lovely drink all the same, and excellent value in this company. 95pts
Fraser Gallop – Parterre – Chardonnay – 2023. This is much leaner and tauter, with the pineapple fruit and acidity the key driver, supported by distinct minerality. Needs time to come into its drinking window and should garner higher points at that time. 94pts.