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Vasse Felix Chardonnay is a pure, elegant and vibrant style of Chardonnay, embracing the region's powerful fruit with complexity and restraint to express the environment, with the hallmarks of Vasse Felix's premier vineyards.

Kooyong Clonale Chardonnay has a complex nose with citrus varietal aromas meshed with classy oak. Seamless and creamy on the palate with long, fine cool-climate flavours. Another cracking wine from Sandro Mosele that just oozes quality.

Since taking over the reigns at Cullen in 1989, Vanya Cullen has taken this esteemed winery to new heights including winning for herself the Gourmet Wine Traveller Winemaker of the Year honours along the way. The Mangan Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc Semillon is the sibling to the Cullen Vineyard version and shares the same level of elegance and flavour precision. Add to that precision an added layer of complexity and texture on the palate and you have what many consider to be Western Australia's premier 'classic dry white'.

Pale yellow youthful green tinges, which I equate with quality young chardonnay. Aromatics are instantly very serious. Intense fruit nectarines and white peaches melding with lemon citrus beautiful French oak hovering just above the wine at the moment intense more than a cursory nod to Burgundy. The tiniest whiff of sulphides perfect for a wine of this age. When sipped, the wine shows its incredible intensity, no doubt derived from the very low yield.

From the Lange family estate and vineyard situated in the picturesque Frankland River, tucked away in the far northwestern corner of the Great Southern. “This is a potent Chardonnnay of power and presence. Toasty whiffs with cedar and clove spice, some rich, hazelnut elements, ripe citrus, red apple and rockmelon in tow. The palate similar to the bouquet, bold and spicy, laden with woody seasoning and generous to a tee. In all that, the balance works well” (Halliday).

Winemaker notes Colour: Pale Gold Bouquet: Our Reserve Chardonnay has a bright and lifted nose of sweet pastry, lemon curd and fleshy white stonefruit. Palate: The palate displays a rich and layered mix of fresh stonefruit, citrus and intense vanilla bean flavours. A fine mineral thread ensures a wine of length and persistence. Viticulture The vineyard is planted on Karri loam gravel soils with underlying laterite. Vine rows run north south down a moderate north facing slope and are clone Gin-Gin with trellis structured to vertical shoot positioning. The vineyard is subject to the cool Southern Ocean breezes and ripens slowly, evenly and with naturally high acidity. Winemaking The fruit is handpicked then cooled before whole bunch pressing. New and seasoned barrels are filled directly from the press to enhance complexity. Only the free run fraction is reserved with harder pressings separated to ensure a delicate and fine expression of the fruit in this wine. The juice is left to ferment spontaneously and can take up to three weeks to ferment with some cooling at the height of ferment. After ferment the barrels are topped and gently stirred with inert gas protection monthly. A small number of barrels were encouraged to finish malolactic fermentation to ameliorate the natural acidity. After nine months in barrel the wine is assembled in tank and aged on lees to further encourage complexity.

The Black Pig's 'The Prize' label is saved for extra special parcels of supreme quality fruit, and this beauty is from a very special property indeed in WA's Margaret River. The estate cannot be named but be assured that fruit quality there is paramount and this elegant, full-flavoured Chardonnay is a real bargain even at its full RRP.

The impressive West Cape Howe is owned by a partnership of four WA families, including those of Gavin Berry and Rob Quenby. Grapes are sourced from estate vineyards in Mount Barker and Frankland River. Styx Gully is 100% Mt Barker grown; all the fruit from our best two blocks of Chardonnay on our Langton vineyard. Block 3 had a tiny crop with rich fruit flavours, Block 25 has deeper soils, a better crop and ripened later; it provided the fruit with higher acidity and delicate, finer fruit flavours. Some of the parcels were handpicked and whole bunch pressed; the balance of the fruit picked at night with low overnight temperatures and processed promptly at the winery. Styx is all barrel fermented (approx 40% new) with no malolactic fermentation; the result being a complex, but still fruit driven, style of Chardonnay. “Its all about freshness and energy. Citrus and melon with a muted cashew character on the nose. The palate is finely balanced with penetrating finish promoted by a crisp chalky acidity. Has a little white flower and lime influence adding complexity. 92pts” (Ray Jordan)

This has power and concentration yet retains delicacy and freshness. Mineral, grapefruit, almond meal and quality oak are seamlessly interwoven.