Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2023
Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2023
AU$140, 13% alcohol, screwcap, Margaret River.
Virginia Willcock has been refining Heytesbury Chardonnay since she started as Vasse Felix’s head winemaker in October, 2006.
2023 was a cool (and therefore late) Margaret River vintage.
2023 turned out to be one of the great vintages for Margaret River chardonnay.
Heytesbury Chardonnay is made with carefully-selected, 100% Gingin clone chardonnay
2023 Heytesbury Chardonnay was fermented wild in all French oak, 52% new.
If you had this 2023 release of Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay on Spotify, you’d click the loop icon so that it played over and over. It is, essentially, a rolled gold example of Australian and indeed of Margaret River chardonnay. I reviewed it on The Winefront back in April, noting that style-wise it’s been set for the long term, and concluding that it will “turn out magnificent”. There’s such power to this release; coiled. There’s both melody and counter-melody, in a context of drama and length. Vasse Felix winemaker Virginia Willcock is a sensei master of chardonnay. We’ve had ample proof of her artistry over the years but this release puts an exclamation mark on it. There’s just so much power here, so much complexity, and such a soar to the finish.
97/100.
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Vasse Felix is a Mattinson 10-Star Winery.
Related reviews:
Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a special wine too.
Related articles:
Journey into the heart of Vasse Felix Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wild at heart: Virginia Willcock feature from 2012.
