Flametree Chardonnay 2022
$24.99
SPECIAL BUY 6 or more. Top Rated Margaret River Chardonnay under $30
Description
Flametree Wines has had a meteoric rise to become one of the star wineries of the Margaret River wine region. Under the skilled winemaking of Cliff Royle (ex-Voyager Estate) the quality of wines are impressive across the board.
James Halliday … “Flametree, owned by the Towner family (John, Liz, Rob and Annie), has had extraordinary success since its first vintage in 2007. The usual practice of planting a vineyard and then finding someone to make the wine was turned on its head: a state-of-the-art winery was built, and grape purchase agreements signed with growers in the region. Show success was topped by the winning of the Jimmy Watson Trophy with its 2007 Cabernet Merlot. If all this were not enough, Flametree secured the services of winemaker Cliff Royle.”
Notes about this vintage by the winemaker: “The 2022 Flametree Chardonnay is a blend from five vineyards, two from the Wallcliffe sub-region, two from Karridale and one from Treeton. The Wallcliffe and Karridale parcels were from vineyards planted with cuttings from the famous Leeuwin Estate Block 20, This represents around 70% of the total blend. The remaining parcel was the highly acclaimed Gin Gin clone. We chose to work with Chardonnay vineyards planted on well drained gravel loam soils on southerly facing hills that avoid the harsh afternoon heat. Fruit was both hand picked (20%) and machine harvested (80%).
“A cool, winter-like spring saw the vines off to slow start. Spring rainfall was quite significant but thankfully things dried up and then got warm quickly. In the end we had a hot, dry summer, with sustained high temperature days and moderate to warm nights through December, January and February, possibly influenced by another La Niña season. Naturally this resulted in rapid ripening for all white varieties, with all vineyards harvested in little over a month. Fruit quality was excellent with surprising delicacy and elegance. A low yielding vintage, primarily due to spring conditions over the past two years.
“A mixture of clean and turbid juice was 100% wild fermented in French oak puncheons (60%) and barriques (40%) using only free run juice. Ferment temperatures were around 18-25 degrees to promote and retain primary fruit flavours. 25% of the wine was fermented in new oak, with the remainder fermented in second, third and fourth use French oak. This year none of the blend went through MLF, lees were stirred every 3-4 weeks. A small percentage of the blend was whole berry fermented to provide nice savoury solids complexity. The 2022 FT Chardonnay spent 9 months in barrel before blending, fining and bottling.
“Citrus oil, floral notes, dried pear and grapefruit aromas are well supported by subtle French oak. The palate is textured yet fine, finishing dry and savoury; this is a direct result of wild ferments with turbid juices. Although the warmer season has resulted in a more full flavoured wine with more stone fruits characters than citrus, this is a classic warmer season Margaret River Chardonnay that drinks well now or can be cellared in the short to medium term.”
“It’s astonishing that Flametree’s Cliff Royle can turn out such beautiful chardonnay at the price..” Huon Hooke, The Real Review
95 points, Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion ”There are some flinty, funky sulphides, grapefruit, creamy nutty lees, a hint of melon, powdered ginger and honeycomb. And just when you think, ‘Is this all too much of a good thing?’ the acidity comes flowing through, providing energy, zesty appeal, length and refreshment. A cracking wine for the price. “
RRP $31 Our Special Price $24.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.
Additional information
Producer | Flametree |
---|---|
Region or Country | Australia, Margaret River, Western Australia |
Variety | Chardonnay |
Vintage | 2022 |
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.