2019 Single Vineyard Chardonnay

The strength of Margaret River Chardonnay lies in the stark contrast of styles of the region’s hallmark white variety. 

The secret to making a great one in the region is, often, to leave it alone, giving the wine a sense of place, allowing expressive fruit and minerality to shine.

This award-winning 2019 Evans & Tate Single Vineyard Chardonnay is all of this and more, a multiple gold-medal winner from the winery’s much-vaunted single vineyard range.

Hailing from the family-run Bridgelands vineyard in Karridale, just south of Margaret River, this wine represents exceptional value in a standout vintage: clean, fresh and pure, delicate complex citrus notes followed by wonderful toasty, malty flavours combine for a formidable dance on the palate. A wine of balance, length and finesse, the result of clever, detailed winemaking, which included two barrels undergoing malolactic fermentation.

colour

Brilliant clarity. pale straw. 

aroma

Stone fruit, pear and citrus notes and seductive fresh toast, dried herbs and malty aromas from barrel fermentation.

palate

This Chardonnay has powerful flavours and structure, balanced by refreshing natural acidity.

cellaring

Drink within five to seven years from vintage. 

vintage

2019 was a beautiful vintage in Margaret River. A steady, mild season allowed for slow, measured flavour development that resulted in balanced natural acidity and lifted varietal fruit character, resulting in wines with incredible perfume, true elegance and real personality.

winemaking

A pure, hands-off approach was used in the making of this wine to allow the vineyard character to sing. Once the decision was made to pick, the hand-picked fruit was cooled overnight to 8C in a cool room before the cool, whole bunches were loaded into a small press. Delicate pressing followed which released the early highest quality free-run juice fraction which equated to 440L/T. The cool, cloudy juice was then transferred into barrel (500 litre French oak puncheons) to undergo wild fermentation. Following ferment, all barrels excluding two were topped and bunged destined for maturation. These two were allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation to impart subtle complexity, texture and balance to the end wine. The wine remained in barrels for 11 months and was stirred monthly to ensure the yeast remained in suspension at all times. Once the ten barrels were blended into a stainless tank, it remained on yeast lees to mature for a further ten months. Once balance and style were achieved the wine was bottled and matured further prior to release.

The above winemaking decisions were chosen to achieve complexity and the house style in the final wine without sacrificing freshness or the potential for longevity – a rare achievement in Australian Chardonnay winemaking.

region

Margaret River

variety

Chardonnay  

analysis

• Alcohol: 13.5%
• pH: 3.06
• TA: 7.75

Fried lemon and almond coated King George Whiting with crab salad.

National Wine Show of Australia 2021

 
Top Gold

Perth Royal Wine Awards 2021

Wine Show of Western Australia 2021

Margaret River Wine Show 2022

Royal Queensland Wine Awards 2022

Melbourne Royal Wine Awards 2022

Sydney Royal Wine Show 2022

James Halliday Australian Chardonnay Challenge 2022

Perth Royal Wine Awards 2022

Wine Show of Western Australia 2022

Royal Hobart Wine Show 2021

Royal Hobart Wine Show 2022

Blackwood Valley & WA Boutique Wine Show 2021

The West Australian Wine Guide 2023

This wonderful chardonnay gives a stunning first impression, with abundant but controlled aromas and flavours, including curry leaf, cashew, brine, peach kernel and chargrilled citrus. The palate is savoury first and foremost with a crystalline backdrop of classic Margaret River stonefruit. Excellent value too. Drink now or cellar and enjoy for up to 8 years. 

Erin Larkin, Halliday Wine Companion 2023

Fruit from Karridale in the south. Hand picked, whole-bunch pressed, fermented wild in oak, partial mlf (30%), matured for 11 months in French oak, transferred to stainless steel for a further 10 months on lees. Scintillating acidity and ripe fruit are the hallmarks of good Margaret River chardonnay, and both are here in spades. Classy oak frames the picture. The length of flavour shows us the final piece of the puzzle. Smart beyond its price.

Erin Larkin, Robert Parker Wine Advocate 2022

The Evans & Tate 2019 Single Vineyard Chardonnay is a deceptively epic wine—deceptive in that it is around $35AUD (cheap, for quality Chardonnay) and yet provides a drinking experience far beyond its price point. This is complex, textural and concentrated, with layers of exotic spice, grilled peach and preserved lemon, all of it laced together with briney acidity. It is awesome.