Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay 2024 (Australia)

Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay 2024 (Australia)A contemporary house style with versatile drinkability. It is a vibrant and modern Chardonnay with pure fruit, wild complexities and mouth watering natural acidity. An earlier drinking style with alluring savoury nuances from Vasse Felixs quality led, minimal intervention winemaking approach. Bright pale straw. A harmonious bouquet unfolds with fragrant citrus blossom, white nectarine, preserved lemon, jasmine, pineapple, lightly roasted cashew nut,

A contemporary house style with versatile drinkability. It is a vibrant and modern Chardonnay with pure fruit, wild complexities and mouth-watering natural acidity. An earlier drinking style with alluring savoury nuances from Vasse Felix’s quality-led, minimal intervention winemaking approach. Bright pale straw. A harmonious bouquet unfolds with fragrant citrus blossom, white nectarine, preserved lemon, jasmine, pineapple, lightly roasted cashew nut, wheatgerm and a subtle flinty undertone. Incredibly fresh and vibrant, with lifted saline mineral tones and balanced acidity creating a mouthwatering sensation. The palate is long, fine, and elegant, filling the entire mouth while seamlessly flowing to a light, dry finish with a delicate chalky texture.

The 2024 vintage was early and fast-paced. An early spring, the warmest in memory, saw below-average rainfall, leading to early flowering, veraison, and fantastic growing conditions for the canopies. Summer brought no rainfall and sustained warmth, with no extremes, ensuring most fruit ripened without damage. Harvest began in mid-January with Wilyabrup Chardonnay, displaying great balance and flavour. Sauvignon Blanc followed, with slightly lower yields but ripe fruit flavours. The warm conditions led to an earlier-than-expected red harvest. The Cabernet showed beautifully ripe fruit flavours, firm tannins, and great concentration. While red yields were slightly lower, vine health remained excellent. The Marri blossom was phenomenal this year, keeping bird pressure to almost zero. Despite the early start and warm, consistent conditions, the fruit quality is beyond expectations.

Parcels of Filius Chardonnay are typically lighter in body and fruit weight, derived from multiple clones and sites that naturally produce elegant, lighter fruit flavours. These parcels benefit from judicious oak handling and lighter solids during fermentation, resulting in a delicately balanced, complex, and fine Chardonnay with a clean, bright palate. The distinctive fruit from these vineyard patches bring finesse and harmony to this wine. Each parcel was handled with respect for the unique qualities of our vineyard sites, undergoing natural fermentation with varying solids levels, and tailored fine French oak and bâtonnage programs. Three large-format foudres were included, preserving vibrant fruit character, enabling unique development, and allowing for low sulphur use. After 7.5 months maturation in oak, the parcels were combined to create a typical Vasse Felix Chardonnay from Margaret River; vibrant, elegant and complex. This vintage exhibits lower acidity, offering a fresh, super pleasant and well-preserved expression.