Grand Cru (Perth) tasting group – Western Australian Chardonnay

[Waiters Friend]

G'day

Our monthly tasting group looked at 9 chardonnays from Western Australia this month. There were no restrictions on style or vintage. It’s been a while since we hosted such a straightforward tasting. All but one of the wines tasted were from Margaret River (not a surprise, really), and most of them were from well known producers. We also had a very good spread of vintages.

As usual, the wines were tasted blind, from youngest to oldest. The notes below are the usual compilation of comments from the group.

Credaro Five Tales 2022 (Margaret River, 12.5% alcohol): Pale yellow with a touch of green. The nose shows lemon, grapefruit, honeydew melon and tropical fruits, with only moderate oak apparent. The lemon and citrus are dialled up slightly on the palate, with more tinned pineapple and modest oak. There’s a slight salinity and texture, moderate acid and length.

Blue Poles 2021 (Margaret River, 12.6% alcohol): I didn’t know BP makes a chardonnay, being aware of their Merlot dominant reds instead. Pale yellow in colour. More oak than the previous wine, alongside citrus, green melon and pink or white grapefruit on the nose. The palate is also more savoury, although there I tangy lemon, orange essence, and a moderate biscuity character. High acid, and medium length. Well regarded by the group.

Deep Woods Reserve 2020 (Margaret River, 13% alcohol): From an excellent Margaret River vintage. Also pale yellow in colour. A ‘worked’ style of chardonnay, with lovely oak characters prevalent and adding complexity to the lemon and white peach fruits on the nose. The palate shows lemon curd and spicy oak with noticeable sulphides / struck match characters. Medium to high acid and a very long finish. Big and complex, and highly regarded by the group.

Nannup Estate 2019 (Nannup, 12.5% alcohol): Where’s Nannup? It’s a lovely little town near Manjimup and Pemberton, and falls into the Blackwood River wine region. From a cooler vintage, it’s light yellow in colour. The nose shows yellow peach, citrus, honeysuckle, and cedary oak. There’s more peach and honeysuckle on the nose, and a little lemon. There’s reasonable palate weight, and acid supports the wine well. The fruit flavours finish a little before the oak does. I’ve had other vintages of this wine, and this is at the lighter end of the spectrum for this maker.

Devils Lair 2018 (Margaret River, 13% alcohol): From an excellent vintage, this wine was a bit of a surprise. The nose was uncharacteristically muted and slightly soapy, with ripe honeydew melon and stone fruits. The palate showed lime cordial, and a touch of sulphide. Oak appears moderate, while the acid is prominent, and this seems ‘unchardonnay-like’.

Killerby Foundations 2017 (Margaret River, 12.5% alcohol): Pale yellow in colour and very clear in the glass. Citrus and under-ripe peach on the nose, with lemon pith and baking spices. The palate shows more citrus, juicy apples, sweet oak richness, and a touch of butter. This is complex in an understated way, and experience tells me this will age well. Highly regarded by the group.

Fraser Gallop Parterre 2014 (Willyabrup, Margaret River, 12.5% alcohol): Pale yellow in colour, belying its age. The nose shows lemon pith/rind, yellow peach and peach flowers. There’s cedary oak in support. The palate gets tangy on the citrus front. Acid is high and cleansing, and there’s some textural grip. A reasonably long finish. Well regarded by the group

Mandoon Estate 2012: (Margaret River, 13.5% alcohol): Yellow gold in colour. Definitely showing signs of development, with a nutty nose, Jersey caramel, nougat and spicy oak. I felt this was slightly oxidised, whereas others found this interesting or palatable. A ‘warm’ palate wit celery and cheesy lees characters. The group agreed this was declining, with fruit fading.

Voyager Estate 2012 (Willyabrup, Margaret River, 13.5% alcohol): Pale yellow, as pale as some of the much younger wines. Lemon and green apple on the very clean nose. More tangy lemon on the palate, with modest oak, and mere hints of development. This sparked a conversation about whether the wine was fading, or in a holding pattern and still has considerable further development to come.

Despite the almost generic tasting theme, this proved to be an interesting tasting, with nowhere near the ‘sameness’ that such a tasting could have achieved. Wine of the night was the Deep Woods Reserve 2020, on a countback from the Blue Poles 2021.

Cheers
Allan

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