Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay 2020

Just as with the Premier chardonnay, this is all barrel fermented with wild yeasts and full solids left in the juice. It’s then matured in a mix of 62 per cent new French oak and the remainder 1 and 4 year old. The concentration and power is immediately evident from the first engagement on the nose. Then the palate delivers with a bang. It’s an explosion of fruit power, cleverly augmented with oak and a little winemaking bringing even more depth and textural complexity to the table. The fruit comes from the very best sites which Vasse Felix call their Grand Cru plots. Rich and concentrated yes, but there is a minerally tension that strikes out with sustained momentum to a prolonged finish.

• Reviewer Name: Ray Jordan

This is a brilliant wine that I "tend" to prefer in warmer vintages. The increased phenolic texture of the warmer years suits the funky, complex and textural style of the wine and delivers a distinctly balanced drinking experience early on in its life. So, to the 2020 Heytesbury Chardonnay: there are notes of fresh curry leaf, preserved lemon, wild beach air, white shiso, enoki, Granny Smith apples, grilled peach and pink grapefruit. In the mouth, the wine shows polish and poise amid the tannic framework, and the juicy acidity that pulses in the background imbues the wine with life and beat. Brilliant, as usual.

• Drinking Window: 2022 - 2032
• Reviewer Name: Erin Larkin
• Review Date: July 2022

In warmer vintages (like 2020) the Heytesbury chardonnay has extension and flex on release, they billow with flavour and pleasure, and the oak seems to be enveloped by it early on. So goes the story here: like the 2018 (on release) this is a scintillating show of powerful fruit, mineral/juicy acidity and layers of crushed rocks, petrichore. nori, summer fig and salted yellow peaches. A superstar wine - it's closed now though: patience, or a decant is recommended. Drink by 2037.

• Reviewer Name: Erin Larkin

This beautifully composed 2020 Chardonnay Heytesbury carries impressive fruit power with youthful vibrancy. Pristine grapefruit, citrus and floral aromas are precise and rich, all wrapped up in a rich cloak of the highest quality oak. There is a more adolescent feel in the mouth with punchy ripe nectarine fruits and oak delivering exceptional energy and vitality, although the whole package still needs a little time to come together. It will handsomely reward time in the cellar.

• Drinking Window: 2027 - 2035
• Reviewer Name: Vinous
• Review Date: September 2022