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94
/ 100
Gary Walsh
White
Classification
Chardonnay
Variety
2024
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
Australia
Country
Victoria, Mornington Peninsula
Region
13.5%
Alcohol %
3-5 Years
Cellaring
Scores
94 / 100"Complex and quite umami in character. Grapefruit, apple, saline, nutty, Japanese ginger, and a little struck match. It has bright acidity, a certain juiciness in with all that nutty almost sake-like character, creamy almond, fine chalky texture, and a finish of excellent length. Really good Chardonnay, and all things considered, jolly good value. Charismatic, is my last word on this wine. Say no more."
- Gary Walsh
Tasting Notes
This year’s Stagiaire blend draws on fruit from Balnarring (65%), Merricks North (19%) and Tuerong (16%). The Merricks North parcel is drawn from the latest addition to Garagiste’s bench of great Mornington sites. Planted in 1996, the vines lie in similar brown loamy soils to those at the flagship Merricks Grove site located close by.
Sorted in the vineyard and winery before being pressed as whole bunches to 500-litre puncheons, this wine is wild fermented with no temperature control, followed by seven months on lees to slowly enrich the texture. A couple of barrels went through malolactic, and the nicely integrated new oak component stands at 10%. It’s bursting with youthful freshness and vigour, full of citrus, white flowers and stone fruits with a mouthwatering saline thread slicing through the fleshy texture. It’s a classic Stagiaire that will only get better with time and air.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity