Huon Hooke 96 points!
Tyson Stelzer 96 Points!
Jancis Robinson 17 points!
Huon Hooke 96 points!
"Very light yellow hue, the aromas subtle and restrained - indeed, the wine is restrained in all respects. The bouquet has great subtlety and harmony of aromas, with elements of creamy lees, cashew and white peach, oak not at all evident even when very chilled. The palate is tremendously fine and long, with a great thread of natural-tasting acidity that runs the full length of the palate and draws out the finish. Seamless, beautifully poised and fine."
Huon Hooke, Huon Hooke - huonhooke.com 31 October 2013
"One of the most impressive debut wines I've ever seen, this is a classic cool-climate Tasmanian chardonnay without a hair out of place. It's a cliche to say it is Burgundian in style, but it is also true - it is taut wine that's a tribute to its terroir; beautifully poised and linear but with citrus, Granny Smith and flint notes, a hint of oatmeal and lashings of bright acidity. Oak merely adds structure and is completely unobtrusive. This wine is youthful but already beautiful."
Winsor Dobbin - Off the Vine, Sunday Examiner, Launceston, 3 November 2013
"The Chardonnay is powerful and textured with fine stone fruit and citrus character. There's a real lemon zing to the palate but it's perfectly balanced by some creamier overtones. I suspect there's a portion of wild ferment in the mix. This is a bright, clean wine but there are touches of savoury flint and caramel oak. I'd love to see it with a little more time but unfortunately quality chardonnay of this calibre seldom stays untouched in my cellar."
Fergus McGhie - Drink, Canberra Times Canberra 2 November 2013
Jamie Goode 94 points!
Very bright and fresh, this is a lean, lemony, mineral style of Chardonnay with keen acidity and some subtle toasty notes. Remarkable analysis figures of pH 3.1 and TA of 8.1 show just how lean and bracing this wine is. There's a little bit of matchstick minerality here. Tight, fresh and precise with some waxy, pithy complexity. Quite Chablis-like.
Jamie Goode - Wineanorak.com, 22 September 2013
"Pale straw colour, lemon pith on the nose, intense and heralds a piecing palate. Faint barrel notes and wood spice. The palate is electric, some say nervy, but whichever word you use, it's thrilling. Lemon sherbet, rind , stones and a dusting a brown barrel spice and silage. There is a delicate creaminess, easily overcome by the incredible acidity. What I like about this wine is the intensity and old world acid line, as Martin Shaw said, think "Puligny or Chablis". The acidity is supported by a weight and power that makes it work really well. This is quite something."
Ben Knight - benandwine.com, 25 October 2013
Andrew Graham 18.5/20, 94 points!
"Sourced from vines that date back to 1988 (for certain parcels), the fruit was handpicked and transported to the Bay of Fires winery, where it was then juiced and sent up to the Shaw + Smith facility in the Adelaide Hills for fermentation and maturation. Whole bunch pressed, it went into 30% new oak (the rest 2nd and 3rd fill) and only 20% of the wine went through malo. This has a 'long lean line of acid' according to Shaw + Smith's David LeMire MW, and even he was a little apprehensive about releasing this wine so young 'maybe October 2014 is when we really need to bring it out!'. TA 8.1, pH 3.1, 13% alc."
Andrew Graham - ozwinereview.com.au, 25 October 2013
Jancis Robinson 17 points!Lean, restrained - almost muted. Lovely acidic line - very naturally integrated. Plenty of pithy structure too. Lime fruit - almost reminiscent of Riesling, in fact. Very well crafted, but very formative. Worth keeping an eye on.
jancisrobinson.com, 4th December 2013.
Vegan-friendly
Country:
Australia
Region:
TAS (Tasmania)
Variety:
Wine White - Chardonnay
Size:
750mL
