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Pristine concentration and complexity of favour are the hallmarks of Simmonet-Febvre, a revered maker in Chablis. Stonefruits and ruby grapefruit with grilled nuts, owing no doubt to Simmonet-Febvre's insistence on ageing their Premier-Cru wines on lees for over a year. Has all the zippy-freshness you would expect from a high-level Chablis.

Small-batch Chardonnay from Marlborough negociants Novum. Stonefruit, cream and mineral on the nose. Flintiness meets fruit on the palate, making for a distinctive medium-bodied wine. An appealingly long finish shows this to be a top tier Chardonnay. Novum use small parcels of fruit from specially selected sites on established Marlborough vineyards to craft the best wines and expressions of terroir possible. Their first vintage arrived in 2016. Novums primary focus is on Syrah, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

WinemakingAll fruit was hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed. The cuvee taille (first cut free-run juice) was settled naturally overnight prior to racking to a mix of stainless steel tank and large format old barrels for fermentation.Fermented and aged separately in small batch lots on settled lees for nine months. The blended wine then underwent secondary fermentation in the bottle. This wine has been aged for an extended period on its autolysing yeast lees for more than four years to garner richness and complexity to its innate elegance and finesse.Winemaker's notesThe protracted growing season allowed a drawn-out ripening, resulting in an uncommon richness of flavour tempered by the abundant natural acidity contributed by the season.A bouquet of nashi pear, glazed brioche, lemon cheesecake and Amaretti buscuit. Flavours of nougat, lemon rind, jasmine and chestnut underpin a palate of steely acidity with delicated bubble, fruit weight and earthy 'sur lie' characters providing textural accompaniement, richness and creaminess to the finish. An excellent match for freshly-shucked oysters or semi-hard cow's milk cheeses.

Appeasing fragrances of nectarine, stonefruit, honey and lemon zest flowing from the nose mellow down to provide undertones of crème Brulee, roast nuts and citrus fruit. The supple palate features crisp and classic Chardonnay fruit elements that are balanced by the fine and refreshing acidity, leading to a lengthy and persistent climax. Grilled shellfish dishes like scallops and lobster, wild mushrooms, white truffles and hazelnut crusted chicken taste excellent with this elegant Chardonnay wine.

Medium straw in colour this wine by Sidewood displays lifted white peach, fig, pear and pistachio nuts on the nose. This barrel fermented Adelaide Hills Chardonnay offers superbly structured characters. It is tight and lean, laced with citrus lime and tropical fruit characters. Some lovely subtle complexities from careful oak maturation on lees include nutmeg, sage spice and pistachio flavours which linger on the after taste. A lovely crisp wine now, that will benefit from some short term cellaring once bottled. Serve with Asian style broth, mushroom based dishes or Lobster bisque is a great match to this Chardonnays complexity in flavour, but finesse in structure.

'These Hay Shed Hill chardonnays have reached a new level in recent years, and this one is another cracker. Classically Margaret River with its powerful palate and super fruit intensity, there is a nice mix of grapefruit and pear with a little roasted cashew influence. It retains a lively freshness which makes for excellent current drinking.' - 94 Points. - Ray Jordan.

https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/orchestracms/eosportal/pdf/tasting-notes/sidewood-vignerons-cassandra-blanc-de-blanc-2017.pdf