Wills Domain Eightfold Chardonnay 2021
- 90
- $39
- Drink by: 2022-2024
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A fine example of Margaret River Chardonnay, with the grapes picked in the chill of early morning before spending a night in a cool room, then whole bunch pressed straight to barrels, 30% of which were new, for fermentation with natural yeasts. Periodic stirring and then 25% of the wine was put through malolactic fermentation. It then spent 8 months in the barrels.
Gleaming yellow gold in colour. Really appealing and lifted aromas of nuts and spices, cashews and melon. This is a generous and ripe style. The palate then moves to dry herbs and hints of ginger, very much upfront in flavours and attack. The intensity is more to the front, but there is some really enjoyable drinking here now and for the next couple of years.
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.
