Nocturne Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2022

Nocturne Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2022

The fruit is from a single site, the Forrest Vineyard in the Willyabrup sub-region of Margaret River. Moreover, this wine is from a tiny ridge section from within the middle of this vineyard selectively picked for this wine. Planted to the classic, WA Gin Gin clone, it’s a wine of unbelievable natural acid presence and structural drive. The vineyard is otherwise largely flat and quite close to the coast, some 3 kms only and in common with Tasslel Park, it is planted on deep silver-grey sands. The picking date is generally relatively early in the Chardonnay season given the vineyards low yielding nature.

The grapes were handpicked on 18th of February, a day earlier than 2021; and whole bunch-pressed directly to new, one- and two-year-old puncheons, with no settling or fining processes. This juice was then carefully monitored and spontaneous fermentation kicked off on day five after pressing. After a Four-week ferment, the wine remained on gross lees un-sulphured until September of that year. In December the wine was emptied from barrel, settled, filtered and bottled.

This is an exciting site that holds amazing acid structure and lovely al dente tannin. It needs some time to truly unfurl, unfold, and show its true colours, but one sniff will show, that it has the character that Nocturne’s SV Chardys are famous for, Flint, funk, just ripe stone fruit, citrus and hope…. In hope that change is always to grow and to hopefully improve. – Julian Langworthy

'This 2022 leads with gentle reduction, flinty complexity and loads of acid and fruit in the mouth. This abundantly composed, vigorously svelte and polished while being authentic. You get salted peach, persevered citrus, jasmine tea, star anise, clove, cut fennel and a line of graphite through phenolics. This is a thoroughly exciting Chardonnay to drink and to ponder- frisky acidity brings crunch and crackle, fleshy fruit envelopes the mouth, and there’s a curved line of phenolics through the finish.” 96+ points. Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate 2023