It was a delight to read two stellar articles by Julia Harding MW on Jancisrobinson.com, in which she named the Heytesbury "a benchmark Australian Chardonnay", while also delving deep into the winemaking detail that aids its distinct flintiness.
Julia delved deep into an exploration of the Heytesbury Chardonnay, detailing technical aspects of both the viticulture and winemaking that have influenced the style and evolution of this wine, championed by Chief Winemaker Virginia Willcock.
Read on to discover her tasting notes as she worked her way through a vertical tasting of nine vintages.
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Vasse Felix, Heytesbury Chardonnay 2021 Margaret River - 17 ++
Hand-harvested. Whole-bunch pressed. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 553 NTU. Aged 9 months in French oak, of which 56% new. Six months in tank after blending. TA 6.8 g/l, pH 3.14. Bottled June 2022 but not released until October 2022. Winemaker Virginia Willcock always worries about how fruity the wine tastes (what she referred to as ‘devastating fruit) for the first 6–12 months after bottling, before it starts to show its more savoury, smoky/mineral qualities. She would like to keep the wine longer before release but they are always sold out of this wine for around 6 months of the year. This vintage is likely to be released in the first few months of 2023. Beautifully and discreetly spiced by the oak with – at the moment – very little struck-match sulphidic character, though it shows a little more with aeration. Marked mineral stone-dust character even with all this youthful fruit. Extremely tight, not lean, but textured, with a chalky feel. Crisp, bone dry, the citrus a little sweet-sour on the finish for now but already showing that lovely creamy texture, just. As it warms and opens in the glass, and going back to this after the older vintages in the line-up, the fruit is really intense, more tropical but still shot through with lime. It would be a great shame to drink this too young.
Vasse Felix, Heytesbury Chardonnay 2020 Margaret River - 17.5 ++
A warm vintage with low yields. Hand-harvested 5–12 February. Whole-bunch pressed. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 600 NTU. Aged 10 months in French oak, of which 62% new. Seven months in tank after blending. TA 6.7 g/l, pH 3.14. Bottled July 2021. Winemaker Virginia Willcock always worries about how fruity the wine tastes (what she referred to as ‘devastating fruit’) for the first 6–12 months after bottling, before it starts to show its more savoury, smoky/mineral qualities. She would like to keep the wine longer before release but they are always sold out of this wine for around 6 months of the year. Powerful and tightly wound vintage. High alcohol and high acid. A little more smoky than the 2021, but firmly mineral in its smokiness not oak toastiness. Oak is beautifully subtle, but really present. Clean-cut lime fruit and lime marmalade, outstanding freshness and length. Very very young but already integrated. Opens up to be really powerful and more toasty/smoky. ‘The powerhouse that our icon wine should be’, suggests winemaker Virginia Wilcock.
Vasse Felix, Heytesbury Chardonnay 2019 Margaret River - 17.5
Cooler than 2020 and labour-intensive. Hand-harvested 21 Feb to 8 March 2019. Whole-bunch pressed. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 500 NTU. Aged 9 months in French oak, of which 61% new. Five months in tank after blending. TA 6.7 g/l, pH 3.14. Bottled May 2020. Winemaker Virginia Willcock always worries about how fruity the wine tastes (what she referred to as ‘devastating fruit’) for the first 6–12 months after bottling, before it starts to show its more savoury, smoky/mineral qualities. She would like to keep the wine longer before release but they are always sold out of this wine for around 6 months of the year. A little more toasty on the nose than the 2019 and starting so show more of that creamy/leesy character as well as the more flinty aroma. More lemon than lime at first with a light smoky herbal note. Wonderfully dry tension thanks to the acidity and the texture, which is key to the impressive and mouth-watering finish. Fine grip/friction and great length. (JH) 13%
Vasse Felix, Heytesbury Chardonnay 2018 Margaret River - 18.5
Hand-harvested 8 Feb to 8 March 2018. Whole-bunch pressed. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 630 NTU. Aged 9 months in French oak, of which 42% new. Seven months in tank after blending. TA 6.8 g/l, pH 3.19. Bottled June 2019. According to winemaker Virginia Willcock, everyone loved this vintage – the winemakers in particular because the fruit was so healthy and the weather so good that the viticulturists were not pressuring them to harvest. Seductively smoky struck-match aroma but so beautifully done that it doesn’t obscure the fruit. Fragrant with both citrus and a light floral note and yet steely/mineral too – quite an achievement to have both. Creamy, so finely textured with a very slight tannic grip adding to the freshness. Immense length and depth of fruit. Great power and distinction. Mushroom risotto needed for this, or roast chicken.
Vasse Felix, Heytesbury Chardonnay 2017 Margaret River - 17
Hand-harvested 1–17 March 2017, three weeks later than usual. A small proportion was machine harvested because they like to have some skin contact in cooler vintages in order to get more flavour. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 550 NTU. Nine months in French oak, 53% new, two months in tank after blending. TA 6.3 g/l, pH 3.14. Bottled January 2018. Much more herbal than the younger vintages, dusty more than smoky. Leaner and more cedary on the palate, less creamy, still balanced but less giving. Lighter weight because it was the coolest vintage in 15 years. Long and stony/mineral. ‘More like Yarra Valley’, suggests winemaker Virginia Willcock. In cooler vintages they avoid 100% whole-bunch pressing because it might be too ‘stemmy’, giving unripe flavours. I’ve been far more conservative with my suggested drinking dates but the ageing trajectory of the Heytesbury can be surprising. A pretty good result for such a cool vintage.
Vasse Felix, Heytesbury Chardonnay 2016 Margaret River - 17.5
Hand-harvested 30 Jan to 24 Feb 2016. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 519 NTU. Nine months in French oak, 57% new, two months in tank after blending. TA 6.5 g/l, pH 3.17. Bottled February 2017. Much more toasty than the younger vintages and just a little bit honeyed but not at all oxidative. Starting to get a woody/cedary character on the palate, lime and lemon fruit really standing proud over the oak, deep and long and just a little creamy. Less distinctive than 2017 and 2018.
Vasse Felix, Heytesbury Chardonnay 2015 Margaret River - 18
A low-yielding vintage due to inclement weather, cold night-time temperatures and rain during flowering and berry development. Hand-harvested 4–13 Feb 2015 and whole-bunch pressed but a small proportion was machine-harvested in order to have some skin contact in the press for those whole berries. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 530 NTU. Ten months in French oak, 57% new, two months in tank after blending. TA 6.8 g/l, pH 3.19. Bottled February 2016. The percentage of malolactic conversion was lower here, leaving 1.89 g/k malic acid – the highest in this line-up. More steely than when they started using a little more malo from 2016. Really complex nose, far more tertiary character here: cedary, wild herbs, and just a touch of honeyed richness, but still with a smoky/mineral side of the younger wines, still steely. On the palate, deep and gently chewy, lots of fresh citrus remaining and the acidity and the subtle tannins give great shape to the fruit.
Vasse Felix, Heytesbury Chardonnay 2014 Margaret River - 18
A ‘text-book vintage in Margaret River’, according to Vasse Felix. Hand-harvested 11–19 Feb 2014 and whole-bunch pressed Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 590 NTU. Nine months in French oak, 64% new, two months in tank after blending. TA 6.75 g/l, pH 3.19. Bottled February 2015. Quite smoky on the nosy but smells so young. No honey, all crushed stones with a hint of cedar and herbs. A perfect demonstration of cool minerality balanced by creamy texture. Hard to believe this is 2014. It has a richness of texture that pairs perfectly with the underlying if no longer primary fruit weight and ripeness. Struck-match aftertaste. Silky and scented by that smoky/stony quality more than by the fruit, though the fruit is the anchor.
Vasse Felix, Heytesbury Chardonnay 2013 Margaret River - 17.5
Warm to very warm in January and February, warmer than usual at night. Hand-harvested 6–24 Feb 2013 and whole-bunch pressed. Spontaneous fermentation in barrel with very high solids. Average 620 NTU. Nine and a half months in French oak, 75% new, two months in tank after blending. TA 6.7 g/l, pH 3.11. Bottled February 2014. This smells smoky and ‘volcanic’ (I guess that means a little bit sulphidic since there are no volcanoes in Margaret River ...) – rather like some wines from the Azores. So youthful, with pure citrus as well as all that smokiness. Tight, super-fresh, dry and not as creamy as the 2014. Remarkably youthful and elegant.