BASS PHILLIP - Chardonnay Premium 2018

"Compared with the Estate Chardonnay, the intensity goes up a notch, so too the richness, so too the extension of flavour through the finish. This is fresh with acidity, encased in sweet oak, prettied with floral aromas and driven by stonefruit and lime. The aftertaste adds steel and bran to the equation."

"Arguably the most important impression though is that it’s pretty bloody delicious." 
Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front, May 2017
Score: 93+/100

Characteristic
Original 1979 planting: two to three barrels per year. Always intense in citrus fruits and powerful flavour. Pronounced minerality. Long palate and long-keeping.

The 2018 wines are products of very high quality vintage, like most of southern Victoria; particularly Pinot Noir. As is the norm at BASS PHILLIP we are very selective with the fruit for these wines. The top-level wines, Reserve, Premium, Estate Pinot Noir & Premium Chardonnay are outstanding.

WINEMAKER’S NOTES:  100% new oak: lightly toasted. Firm underlying acidity with subtle fruits: very long palate. A fine wine which will continue to develop for ten years plus.

VITICULTURE NOTE: Farmed Organically since 1993. Farmed Biodynamically since 2002. As yet uncertified. Original Estate vineyard planted to 8,500 vines/HA; small plot cropping at approx. one tonne/acre.

PRODUCTION NOTE: Bottled without fining or filtration. Procork closure

AGEING POTENTIAL: 5-6 years

Made in a simple and traditional manner, with low-cropped vineyards, no irrigation and minimal intervention in the winery,  the wines of BASS PHILLIP display flavours which are characteristic of the region and their individual vineyards.

Deep mineral-rich soils, natural high humidity, and cooler temperatures in South Gippsland is also part of the magic that delivers the length, complexity, flavors, balanced acidity, and natural minerality to BASS PHILLIP wines.

Combined with Phillip Jones’s undivided attention to detail in the vineyards  and winery, and an insatiable passion for quality wine experiences, BASS PHILLIP produces extraordinary wines one vintage after another.