Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay

Puligny-Montrachet is one of the hallmark tastiest Chardonnays that I have ever had. And I would drink it Tuesday through Saturday, morning, noon and night, if I could. 

But alas, for all its greatness, Puligny comes at a price, so it’s often that I scour the world, searching out great combinations of climate, soil, and winemaker, with Chardonnay, that are making wines just as tasty as my beloved Puligny-Montrachet.  

And most assuredly, I found a doozy in Margaret River, Australia. From my tastings (and my drinking), I have come to believe that Margaret River just may be one of those magical places on Earth where a grape, Chardonnay, perfectly matches its climate. My newest find from Margaret River? Vasse Felix Chardonnay.

I say “my” new find, but in truth, I am behind the times. Vasse Felix’s winemaker, Virginia Willcock, was nominated for Wine Enthusiast’s 2014 Winemaker of the Year award. And then followed by winning "Best New World Winery" in 2018. So I may be late to the game, but that won’t temper my enthusiasm. I had a chance to talk with Virginia about Margaret River Chardonnay recently: 

“Robert Mondavi was actually the first to recommend Chardonnay in Margaret River [at the Leeuwin Estate] and it was probably some old form of Wente probably bootlegged over by him," she said. "But he managed to hit it – right grape, right place.

“What I’ve had to do at Vasse Felix is all the back work. I didn’t and don’t want to recreate Puligny-Montrachet, or Mondavi Chardonnay, but I do want to make dynamic Chardonnay. So every year since 1990, we have planted five new plots of five new clones of Chardonnay scattered – but organized by soil type – across all our vineyards. Takes about three years to get fruit and then we get about a barrel of wine out of each clone, a distinct wine. 

“It’s a pain because we’ve done 5 x 5 clones by plots every year and then by 1993, we had to start replanting the first 25 plots. Meaning wines that were clearly mismatched to soil and clone, or for whatever reason were not to our liking, we ended up ripping up, crossing over, or replanting in another soil type. 

“So we have been at this almost 25 years. This Chardonnay – I won’t say culmination because we haven’t stopped working in the vineyard – is our, maybe ‘manifestation’ of the best matching of clone to terroir. We select individual barrels that shine to make this wine.”

And friends, the proof of this dynamic Chardonnay is in the bottle. 

This wine is so Puligny-like – meaning smoke, minerals, coconut shavings, wet granite with touches of lemon zest and kaffir lime leaf – Chardonnay like I’ve never had that wasn’t from Puligny. The palate is linear and intense, finishing with a chalky grip. While Puligny may be my hallmark place for drinking Chardonnay, that isn’t what Virginia has made. What she has made is outstanding and stunning Chardonnay, a world-class contender. I drink a ton of white Burgundy. But if Margaret River is going to make Chardonnay this good, I’ll have to revise. Here in Vasse Felix, I get an early drinking window with primary fruit; an extended cellar life that leads to a stony, succulent, rich, long life; and far cheaper prices. 

It’s just that good. I loaded up; I encourage you to do so as well.