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.

By Cassandra Charlick

Captain Winepilot

Wine critic and journalist at Winepilot

Winepilot is combined stories and reviews from the Winepilot team

Wine critic and writer