www.winefront.com.au 31 August 2009 2008 Wedgetail Estate Single Vineyard Chardonnay, by Gary Walsh Now there’s a trend amongst winemakers these days to cut their Chardonnay right back to the bone, especially in the Yarra Valley, but if I want that style I’ll buy Chablis or Riesling or some other dry white. Here’s a wine that plays to the strengths of both the Yarra Valley and Chardonnay. Hooray for that!
Creamy cashew nut, citrus, nectarine and some savoury winemaker inputs lead you gently into a medium bodied palate that has heaps of flavour and weight, but no heaviness. It’s creamy with hints of butterscotch, offers a pleasing sort of minerality, clean tight acidity and a lovely long grapefruit accented finish. A beautiful seamless wine that’s perfectly put together. Rated : 94 Points
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2006 Vintage Gourmet Traveller Wine June/July 2008 2006 Wedgetail Estate Single Vineyard Chardonnay, Yarra Valley Tropical and stone-fruit aromas mingle with butterscotch and nutty aromas in the complex bouquet of this Yarra chardonnay. The palate is soft, round and rich in jucy fruit. Oak flavours are seamlessly woven into it. 4 Stars ____________________________________________
Winorama 27th March 2008 Wedgetail Estate Chardonnay 2006 - Tasting Notes and Australia and Yarra Valley and variety and white and Chardonnay - Gary Walsh.
At this rate it won't be too long before the Yarra Valley takes poll position as the most reviewed region on winorama. Well that's fine by me too because I like it alot, and there's lots more Yarra Valley action to come. Quite savoury and refined with aromas of fig, creamy cashew, spice and subjued citrus and peach fruit. On the palate flinty and dry with sour edged fruit flavours of green pear and citrus, yeast lees and spiced nuts. Soft, light creamy with a little oxidative, but shot through with minerally acidity, the overall impression is textural and sophisticated rather than fruity. Finishes dry and flinty with good length. And if it makes any sense I like this even moe than the score would indicate; it's one of those wines you appreciate more with every sip. Rated: 92 points.
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The Weekend Australian Magazine 15-16 March 2008 Wine by Max Allen White from the Hills 2006 Wedgetail Estate Chardonnay The more I taste the wines from this Yarra Valley hillside vineyard, the more I'm convinced that the best - from the steepest, coldest, south-facing block - is this superbly complex, grilled nut and peach fuzz-textured chardonnay.
2005 Vintage Australian Gourmet Pages Wine Notes - May 2007 Wine Notes by Franz Scheurer Wedgetail Estate Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2005 This single vineyard Chardonnay hails from the Yarra Valley. The grapes are grown on a steep southerly slope with the result that the wine features lots of typically cool climate citrus aromas. On the palate it displays a creamy, mouth-filling texture with lots of lime, roasted nut and grape-fruit flavours, ending with a clean, acidic finish which just begs for another glass of the same. This is a terific food wine and it jumps to life when paired with a buttery emulsion sauce. Utterly delightful!
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Paul Ippolito Talks Wine: Wines of the Week - 17th July 2007 Wedgetail Estate Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2005 This YarraValley boutique winery knocks out pretty respectable wines under Guy Lamothe. This Chardonnay has quite an upfront nose full of stone fruit characters, surprisingly, so for such a cool climate wine.Some citrus lemon and grapefruit nuances also follow.Barrel fermented – buttery and creamy rich on the finish, this is a real Chardonnay with plenty of substance for those seeking gravitas and also finesse in their Chardonnay.Good nutty features, tangy acidity and well melded oak, together to make a fulsome wine.Try this with lasagna. Drink now to 2010. About $40 90/100 (very good)____________________________________________
James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion 2008 2005 Single Vineyard Yarra Valley Chardonnay A complex bouquet and palate; figgy/creamy/nutty characters point to oak, when infact little used; good mouthfeel. Screwcap. 14% alc. Rating 91 to 2010.
2004 Vintage
Australian Gourmet Traveller – Oct/Nov 2006 “By Popular Demand” – Chardonnay article 2004 Wedgetail estate Chardonnay Made from fruit harvested from a steep south facing slope in the Yarra Valley, Guy Lamothe's 2004 Wedgetail estate (Chardonnay) $28 has precision and intensity. A restrained, cooler climate style, it makes a distinctly quartz-like impression and offers lemon oil, spice and restrained oak. On the palate is custard-apple and nectarine – even and delicious – the edgy, cool fruits softened with gentle winemaking influence, though the drive and purity of the palate is not compromised. Ryan liked the complexity, Forestall bathed the wine in lots of positive comments and, like Bourne, found it "very primary". Tasters: Peter Bourne, Nick Ryan, Peter Forestall, Nick Stock. ____________________________________________
The Canberra Times – Sep. 20th 2006 By Fergus McGhie Wedgetail Estate 2004 Single Vineyard Chardonnay, Yarra Valley $36 “Is Chardonnay the Yarra Valley’s best grape variety? At a recent tasting of Yarra Valley wines, my top two wines were chardonnay. One was Wedgetail. This has all the hallmarks of quality Chardonnay. Fine acid, powerful but understated fruit flavours and a delicious lick of smoky toasted oak lending a savoury complexity only tasted in the best examples. A small producer, Wedgetail is worth seeking out.” ____________________________________________ James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion 2007 2004 Single Vineyard Chardonnay Rich, ripe melon, stone fruit and fig, the oak sotto voce, if at all; starting to show bottle development and more flovour than finesse. Cork. 14 alc. Rating 90. Drink 2010. $32 ____________________________________________ 2003 Vintage James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion 2006 2003 Wedgetail Chardonnay Developed yellow; super-rich, ripe and concentrated; sweet yellow peach has absorbed the oak. Rapid development. Cork. Rating 90. Drink 2008. ____________________________________________ 2002 Vintage
The Age Newspaper – April 15th 2006 By Bob Hart 2002 Wedgetail Chardonnay “The wine with which we accompanied our meals was an intense 2002 Wedgetail Chardonnay from the Yarra Valley, a mountain of flavour for $55 a bottle." ____________________________________________
James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion 2005 2002 Wedgetail Chardonnay Long, intense, fruit-driven palate; strong citrussy overtones to stone fruit and melon; subtle oak. Rating 94. Drink 2010. ____________________________________________
2001 Vintage
MX Lifestyle – May 28 2004 2001 Wedgetail Chardonnay This chardonnay by Yarra Valley winemaker Guy Lamothe is a triumph. Medium yell-green in colour, it has a complex fruit-driven palate that lingers, with delightful citrus and stone fruit aromas, with a hint of spice. It's reminiscent of a long, mild summer. RRP$33 ____________________________________________ James Halliday – Australian Wine Companion 2004 2001 Wedgetail Chardonnay Medium yellow-green; the moderately complex palate has a complex blend of tangy grapefruit/stone fruit aromas, the palate fruit-driven with good length and intensity; subtle barrel-ferment/casew characters add another dimension. Rating 92. Drink NOW. 2007 Best Vintages '01. Drink with sweetbreads. ____________________________________________
City News – August 31st 2001 By Peter Dietsch “Wedgetail Estate is, in many respects, the most interesting of all the recent arrivals on the Yarra scene. It is a very small operation on the north-western edge of the Valley proper, and if you want the wines you will have to contact the winery to find out where you can get them. They are made by Guy Lamothe, and they are marketed by his partner, Dena Ashbolt. Guy and Dena established their vineyard in 1994, and, right from the start, they embraced the philosophy of doing everything themselves. Lamothe is a fascinating character, with a French-Canadian background, and his accent can change from lyrical French to resonant Canadian in the middle of a sentence. His wines have a fascinating character too, and they reflect his absolute determination to create something entirely distinctive from a unique vineyard site. His current releases are all impeccably crafted, with the Single Vineyard Chardonnay and the Single Vineyard Pinot Noir being particularly impressive. A 2000 Reserve Pinot Noir was lasted last year, in a completely different context, and it immediately proclaimed itself to be in the very top bracket of Australian pinots.” ____________________________________________
1999 Vintage Yarra Valley Wine Guide 1999 By Max Allen 1999 Wedgetail Chardonnay “The 1999 Chardonnay tasted out of various barrels was extremly impressive, with exceptional viscosity, length and character. Barring tragedy twixt barrel and bottle, when it's released it should be one to watch out for. The red wines from the 1997 vintage have been bottled and released and are also very good (or were, before they sold out).”
Fusing Burgundian winemaking with Yarra Valley terroir…
