TN: Fermoy Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2018

[Waiters Friend]

G'day

I've been through phases with Fermoy Estate. It was my favourite Margaret River winery in the early 1990s, and has moved in and out of my orbit in the intervening years. Chardonnay and Cabernet were always the go-to's.

Medium yellow and bright in the glass. A moderately complex nose with preserved lemon, ripe stone fruits, grilled cashews, a touch of vanilla and tiny amount of tropical fruit. The latter is more evident on the palate, with tinned pineapple, ripe yellow peaches, lemon / lime, cumquat, and is relatively fruit dominant. There's cedary oak in support and it provides some modest tannic grip as well as oak flavours. There's enough acid, again in a supporting role, and the blend of oak and acid props up the fruit flavours well. Medium finish only, not overly long or rich.

Reasonably well balanced and enjoyable without being a powerhouse chardonnay. In a blind tasting, this might slip under the radar a bit, but is worth taking a little time to assess and appreciate. Unlikely to improve further, in my humble opinion.

Cheers
Allan

[jdisc]

Always said - anything from MR in 2018 is pretty much guaranteed to be a decent wine. One of the all-time 'perfect' vintages, although the 23 may be on par.