Vasse Felix Chardonnay 2023

Always a great value Chardonnay with plenty of great winemaking resources at play. The nose is powerful; preserved lemon, nashi pear skin, sea salt and crushed shell, with toasted oat and roast cashew, coriander spice. A just-there cheesy, leesy disco-ball funk. Such fantastic fruit power on the palate, concentration, pith, but also clarity. There’s a get up and seize the day energy about this, but it’s got some serious structure and is not flippant about where it’s going. White pepper, lemon flesh, and a green caper brine finish cries out for another sip of succulence. An opus of layers, well-strung and firm Gingin acidity, crocheted phenolics and a smart as a whip finish with plenty of persistence. 2023 was a cracker, and this is a fire-cracker of a wine. The best iteration of this wine yet.