2016 Singlefile Family Reserve Chardonnay Magnum
VINEYARD & WINEMAKING
Walking the Singlefile vineyard in the Denmark sub-region of the Great Southern we classify our chardonnay fruit and determine the ideal picking time to produce a cool-climate chardonnay with both power and finesse. Planted in 1989, the vineyard straddles the 35-degree latitude line and is 60 metres above sea level. The vineyard slopes north north-west in fertile well drained Karri loam soils with abundant micro fauna and flora. The vineyard is a very slow ripening and tends to maintain its natural acidity while developing ripeness. The 2016 fruit, harvested by hand on 17th March, was chilled overnight, then whole bunch pressed and fermented in 40% new and 60% one year old French oak barriques from the Francois Freres, Dargaud and Jaegelle cooperages. The wine spent nine months in oak with partial (~8% malolactic fermentation to develop mouth feel), with lees stirring occurring at weekly intervals during the first five months.
THE WINE
This wine has aromas of intense grapefruit and white peach with a touch of orange blossom. The palate experiences a concentration of citrus and stone fruit with cashew nuts and a creamy texture due to a partial malo-lactic fermentation. The wine is effortlessly mouth filling with a delicate balance of fruit and acidity and a long lingering finish. A wine of both power and finesse, it is well suited to rich poultry or creamy shellfish dishes with sautéed vegetables. It will continue to develop in the bottle over the next ten years.
CRITIC REVIEWS OF NOTE
2018 Vintage
96 points, Ray Jordan, The West Australian 2020 Wine Guide, Nov 2019
95 points, Steven Creber, Australian Wine Companion, Aug 2019
93 points, James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, Jun 2019
94 points, Steve Leszczynski, QWine, Jun 2019
4.5 stars, Best of the West, Winestate Magazine, May 2019
18.6 points, Barry Weinman, Fine Wine Club, Feb 2019
2017 Vintage
16.5 points, Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com, Dec 2018
95 points, Ray Jordan, 2019 WA Wine Guide, Nov 2018
95 points, Ned Goodwin, Australian Wine Companion, Aug 2018
94 points, Steve Leszczynski, QWine, Jul-2018
2016 Vintage
18.75 points, Regan Drew, vinonotebook, Jun-2018
95 points, Top 100 New Releases, Gourmet Traveller Wine, Apr-2018
95 points, Jane Faulkner, Australian Wine Companion, Aug-2017
95 points, Huon Hooke, The Real Review, Jan-2018
94 points, QWine, Jan-2018
18.5 points, Barry Weinman, Fine Wine Club, Jan-2018
2015 Vintage
97 points, James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion, Aug 2016
Top Chardonnay, Mike Bennie, Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine, May 2016
2014 Vintage
2016 Chardonnay of the Year, Winestate
97 points, James Halliday, Australian Wine Companion, Aug 2015
94 points, Huon Hooke, Jun 2015
18.6 points, John Jens, Western Suburbs Weekly, May 2015
9.5/10 points, Regan Drew, APN ARM, May 2015
18/18.5 points, Barry Weinman, Fine Wine Club
5 Stars, Lester Jesberg, Winewise Magazine
