Patrick Sullivan Bull Swamp Chardonnay 2024
- 94
- $100
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Located just outside of the town of Warragul, the dry grown Bull Swamp vineyard was planted in 1982 to deep and rich volcanic soils. The fruit for this wine comes from a north facing aspect of the site. It was barrel fermented before full malo and elevage in barrique for eleven months with 30% new. It’s nutty and saline on first look with hazelnut and fino sherry-like raw almond notes kick things off, followed by bread dough, pickled vegetables and yuzu citrus. A good swirl of the glass releases cinnamon apple and a glimmer of clotted cream. There’s a reticence here, with a coaxing required at this young age, but it’s very good. The palate, however, is more generous and juicy while retaining detail and filling the mouth with poached apple, pineapple husk, yuzu, subtle salinity, hazelnut, pastry dough and bosc pear before a fine sheath gently grainy phenolics and good saline acidity draw length. There’s some attractive nuttiness in the mouth perfume, and the aforementioned length is assured and considerable. Another of Patrick’s 2024 Chardonnays that seems to take you on a journey from first smell to final sip. Delicious.
Tom Kline is a wine writer, reviewer, presenter, and educator based in Victoria, Australia. He is the Australian correspondent for the internationally respected publications Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy and Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux, where he highlights the top tier of Australian wine for a global audience. Tom also writes for leading outlets including Decanter (UK), Wine Spectator (US), and Halliday Magazine, among others. An experienced wine show judge and WSET educator, he has authored several consumer-focused wine courses aimed at making wine more accessible and engaging. In 2023, Tom was awarded Best Published Feature Article or Wine Column at the prestigious Wine Communicator Awards, presented by Wine Communicators of Australia.
