2023 Single Vineyard Chardonnay

This elegant Single Vineyard Chardonnay is produced from the Smithbrook Vineyard in the heart of the Pemberton wine region in Western Australia. Winemaking remains traditional, with Winemaker Ben Rector respecting the fruit through a minimal intervention approach in the winery. Fruit is hand-picked and whole bunch pressed, before undergoing wild fermentation and maturation in French oak barrels.

It's not just the winemaking approach that is impressive; the 2023 vintage in Pemberton was excellent, with wines showing bright, complex fruit flavours, balanced acidity and restrained power. Oak influence has also imparted a creamy mouthfeel and texture to the final wine.

This is a delicious Chardonnay which delivers well above its price point. 

Colour

Pale straw with green tinges.

Aroma

A complex lifted nose with an abundance of yellow tropical fruit, charry oak influence, and subtle gun smoke sulphide complexity.

Palate

A rich, dense flavour profile with complex secondary flavours of nougat and pie crust derived from yeast lees autolysis and regular stirring during the maturation stage.  A crunchy acid backbone helps maintain the fruit intensity and prolong the length of this delicious Chardonnay.

Cellaring

Drinking beautifully now and will cellar for up to 6 years.

vintage

The 2023 vintage is typified by a cool, late spring, and mild warm summer. Below average rainfall for the growing season resulted in reduced yields overall, but fruit intensity and ripeness of the estate whites were especially strong.

The fruit has once again been handpicked from our Gingin cloned vines, which typically produces Chardonnay with outstanding flavour and intensity. 

winemaking

Produced solely from the Smithbrook Vineyard, the winemaking techniques are implemented to best represent the terrior of this Pemberton site.  Fruit was handpicked in the cool morning and refrigerated overnight to minimise oxidation, before gentle pressing to new and seasoned French oak barrels for wild fermentation. Regular stirring of the lees during and after ferment contribute texture, while enhancing the complexity.  The wine was matured in oak for 6 months, before individual barrels were selected to create the final blend.

Region

Pemberton 

Variety

 Chardonnay

Analysis

• Alcohol: 13.0%
• pH: 3.28
• TA (Acidity): 6.40 g/L

The Real Review, February 2024

Pale straw yellow colour, the nose offers inviting soft tropical fruit and grapefruit aromas. Medium weight and still rather closed, it has delicious purity of fruit in the mouth, finishing long and elegant. Should build richness with a couple of years in bottle.

Ray Jordan WA Wine Review 2025

One of the best Chardonnays from Smithbrook in recent years. Really nails it in every way. Immediately opens with a mix of stone fruit and cutting lemon tang merging with a roasted almond character. The palate is intense and penetrating with the support of a fine persistent acidity. Has a savoury minerally finish to complete a very tidy wine. Super value wine.

Halliday Wine Companion, May 2024

An easy-going, slurpy and fresh-feeling chardonnay with typical characters of stone fruits, nougat, sweet lime, briny minerality and a touch of cinnamon/clove woodiness. It's even and flows well, trickles through the back palate with lime sorbet notes and a sense of that sweet-woody spice. A bit simple overall, but delivers on its promise well.