Domaine Naturaliste Artus Chardonnay 2022
$52.99
SPECIAL BUY 6 or more. NEW Vintage. Outstanding Margaret River Chardonnay, flagship wine.
Description
“The sheer quality of the wines he makes is equalled only by his consistency” James Halliday.
BEST VALUE WINERY OF THE YEAR in JAMES HALLIDAY’S AUSTRALIAN WINE COMPANION 2020
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.
The Flagship series is Bruce Dukes’ finest expression of the iconic Margaret River varietals. “Flagship is our passion and inspiration, the reason we make wine.” From terroir and fruit selection, to palate and aroma, Bruce Dukes expertly balances these variables, resulting in wines that are complex and ultimately delicious.
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 which imparts racy succulence. The tiny 100g Gin Gin clusters are hand harvested at first light to preserve freshness of fruit.
From the winery about this vintage: “A dry and sun-drenched summer in 2020 led to fantastic fertility, perfectly moderated by a mild winter and a long cool spring. A hot and dry start to summer led to beautiful vine growth, followed by a cool ripening season with sporadic summer rains. The resultant wines are characterised by intense aromatics, coating natural acidity, and ultra-fine tannin and tension. Flavours of fresh nectarines and candied pecan nuts are supported by tight citrus acidity, aromas of poached pears and marzipan.”
This 2022 is in and it looks fabulous .. About the 2022 vintage from the winemaker: “The 2021 to 2022 growing season in Margaret River was one of the highlights in my 33 years of winemaking. Gentle and sustained sunny days provided fruit characterized by intense aromatics, coating natural acidity, and ultra-fine tannin and tension. Fruit was picked purely based on the gorgeous balance of natural acidity and pure fruit expression.”
This chardonnay is a brilliant powerful 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.
Reviews of 2021 .. 96 points, James Halliday “A wine from the big end of town, built on a scaffold of French oak barrel fermentation and stiletto acidity. Grapefruit and nectarine fill in the masonry. It is layered and balanced.”
95 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “.. It’s powerful, a little buttery and spicy, but tight in citrus acidity, with a grainy grip, green mango and melon, spicy and powerful on a long finish. All the things. Excellent.”
96 points Ray Jordan “Rich butterscotch aromas with ripe stone fruit adds so much to the nose and the palate. It’s a highly textured wine with a dry savoury minerality providing a beautiful finish. A little gunsmoke brings a subtle new dimension.”
95 points The Real Review “A very complex and complete wine that is drinking beautifully.”
96 points Cassandra Charlick “This is a wine that lets you know when it’s arrived at the doorstep… The fruit is evenly weighted across the palate and amongst all of that oak it has a delicacy to it, purity and sweetness of character… Every sip leaves you aching for more.”
96+ Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate “It is sleek, glassy and svelte, defined by cool acid and a mineral spool of phenolic tension. So, this 2021 Artus Chardonnay is exactly that. It is nuanced and detailed, mineral and rocky, shaped as it is by malolactic fermentation and rich, toasty oak…I love this wine.” Erin Larkin
RRP $67 *Our Special Price $52.99 when you buy 6 or more of this wine*
Additional information
Producer | Domaine Naturaliste |
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Variety | Chardonnay |
Region or Country | Australia, Margaret River |
Vintage | 2022 |