Devil’s Lair ‘The Ninth Chamber’ Chardonnay 2017
- 97
- $100
- Drink by: 2021-2035
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This is the ultimate offering in Chardonnay from Devil’s Lair, only released in great vintages (although in Margaret River, that really does not narrow things down much). First produced from the 2009 vintage, the fruit is harvested by hand and then whole-bunch pressed into one-year-old French barriques before ten months on lees with regular stirring. The 2017 is the fifth release (not quite sure what those vintages which missed out did to transgress).
This is a stunning Chardonnay. Pale lemon in colour with a hint of the first glimpses of sunrise. Beautifully fragrant, with knife-edge balance. There is noticeable citrus here, grapefruit and lemon, as well as nuts, spices and mango. Although there is already good complexity here, the wine does give the impression that it is still far too young to give up all its secrets just yet. Crunchy acidity, great length, excellent oak integration, this is a balanced, complex Chardonnay which reveals the glories of Margaret River. This has a decade or more ahead of it. The price? This wine competes more than favourably with what the top Premier Crus from Burgundy offer at a much lower price. There are a couple of scintillating Chardonnays from this region, which exhibit how brilliant the best can be. This is one of them.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
