Description
“The sheer quality of the wines he makes is equalled only by his consistency” James Halliday.
When I met winemaker Bruce Dukes from Domaine Naturaliste I was bowled over by how striking every wine was that I tasted in his lineup … A rare occurrence when you’re tasting wines every day.
The success did not happen by accident. He has an intimate knowledge of all the terroirs of Margaret River after spending 25 years honing his craft with leading Margaret River producers such as Pierro wines. He is a trained agronomist and has a Masters in viticulture and Oenology from U.C. Davis … he also worked for 4 years at Neibaum Coppola in Napa, USA. Bruce seeks freshness of fruit, perfume, texture, overall balance, restraint with low to moderate alcohol in all his beautiful wines. Domaine Naturaliste is named after the northern most Cape of Margaret River, Cape Naturaliste, where the winery is situated. Minuscule production of top shelf wines across the board.
From the flagship series, this is Bruce Dukes finest expression of the iconic Margaret River varietals. Artus is an artistic translation of the local Gin Gin clone into wine. The wine creates its own journey. It is a provocative, complex and textural wine exuding the seductive spirit of old world Chardonnay. The vines have been managed to allow only dappled light into the fruiting zone. This promotes flavour development, low tannins and bright levels of natural acidity. The fruit is sourced from Karridale the cool southern end of Margaret River. The tiny 100g Gin Gin clusters are hand harvested at first light to preserve freshness of fruit.
This gorgeous Chardonnay is a strong statement .. a brilliant unbridled expression of barrel fermented chardonnay flavours of fresh nectarines and candied pecan nuts supported by aromas of poached pears and marzipan. Wild yeasts, unrestricted malolactic, time on lees, medium toasted Vosges and Allier French oak. A wonderful vintage – A bountiful wet winter filling the dams, with a warm spring and summer, allowing lovely balance of natural acidities and physiological ripeness in the fruit. Decant this wine if drinking now or will cellar well for up to 8 years.
Blue Gold, Top 100 2017 Sydney International Wine Show
96 points, James Halliday: “Bruce Dukes at his best, conjuring up the complexity of a top French white burgundy with a base of natural acidity ex relatively low alcohol. The barrel ferment has led to complex, funky nuances, and the texture of the wine builds progressively until it moves through towards the exceptionally long finish and aftertaste.”
95 points, Huon Hooke “Light to medium yellow colour and a complex bouquet rich in artifact: it’s smoky, nutty, toasty and shows considerable lees input, and some low-level sulfides. There’s a touch of apparent sweetness, which is no obstacle to enjoying it, the finish being clean and dry. A generous, layered, rewarding wine, with traditional chardonnay richness as well as some restraint. It achieves a great balance between the two worlds. A beaut drink.”
RRP $49
(Also available at a special 6 pack buy price click here)
