Domaine Naturaliste Artus Chardonnay 2019
$39.99
BUY 6 OR MORE. Consistently outstanding Margaret River Chardonnay. 96 points, Wine Front.
Out of stock
Description
BEST VALUE WINERY OF THE YEAR in JAMES HALLIDAY’S AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION 2020
“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.
From the winery: A long and gentle vintage weather pattern, slightly cooler than the long-term average. The fruit gained lovely perfumes and textures while maintaining a magnificent verve. 13% Alc.
Bruce Dukes said of this vintage “A wet winter in 2018 set the soils up for a great season. Cool ripening all the way up to harvest, meant a longer than average ripening period resulting in greater acid and aromatic retention with fine textures and tannins. ”
This new release is on form .. This chardonnay is a 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. Decant this wine if drinking now or will cellar well for up to 8 years.
96 points – Gary Walsh, The Wine Front ‘The smooth operator in the Naturaliste Chardonnay range, and Naturaliste always puts me in mind of naturists, which is not something I want to dwell on overmuch, unlike this wine.
A little struck match, pear and almond, some cinnamon spice, ripe lime, almost. It’s silky and smooth, a cashew-like richness, some toast too, but pure in fruit flavour, delicious ripe grapefruit tingle and cut to its acidity, a slight flintiness to texture, and a surge of flavour, lime rind and floral things on a very long finish. Sophisticated and seductive. Beautiful. Drink: 2020 – 2026+’
RRP $51 *Our Special Buy when you buy 6 or more – $39.99
Additional information
Producer | Domaine Naturaliste |
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Variety | Chardonnay |
Region or Country | Australia, Margaret River |
Vintage | 2019 |