Stella Bella Margaret River Chardonnay 2020  £24.61

Stella Bella Margaret River Chardonnay

This boutique winery in the heart of Margaret River creates idiosyncratic named ranges like Suckfizzle in a low interventionist and organic way keeping their approach as simple as possible to allow their cherished vineyards to show their quality.

It is not merely in the names where these wines are memorable, as once you have tasted them you will see why Luke Jolliffe, the winemaker, continues to receive recognition and awards from around the world for wines that have that wonderful Margaret River restraint and elegance, but are bound together with a fruit purity that makes them delectable.

The Stella Bella Chardonnay is an annual picking of Luminosa and Forest Grove vineyard sites located in the southern reaches of the Margaret River region in order to capture strong varietal character and maintain high natural acidity. Also from a selection of clones but predominantly Gin Gin.

Hand-picked and whole bunch pressed. The juice was cold settled for 24 hours, then wild fermented in a combination of new and old French oak barriques. Battonage was undertaken based on taste throughout maturation to deliver a precise aroma, line and length. The wine was matured for 10 months before bottling.

Brilliant pale lemon with green highlights. The bouquet has a panoply of scents of great intensity and complexity – there is an interplay of the aromatic notes of white flowers, anise and lemon curd with the deeper notes of spicy oak, some yoghurt‐ like nuances and a hint of struck match. The deft palate shows both restraint and power. Taut citrus, pear and briny/mineral elements build in the mouth and meld perfectly with the savoury, nutty, fine‐grained oak which nevertheless remains unobtrusive. The finish has a pleasant grapefruit‐like tang and the signature length of flavour which shows great persistence. A wine of elegance & finesse.

Try with roasted pork belly or duck.

95 Points - Gold - Wine Companion

Hand-picked, whole-bunch pressed, wild fermented. Luke J is a bit of a wizard with acid. The chardonnays under the Stella Bella label are capable of statuesque poise and precision – they are truly wonderful. This is a little snippet of what is on show in the Suckfizzle and Luminosa chardonnays, and it carries all the same DNA and sumptuous flavour. Utterly delicious.

Erin Larkin