Lethbridge Allegra Chardonnay 2016

Lethbridge Allegra Chardonnay 2016

Country Australia

Region  Victoria Sub-region Geelong

Grape  100% Chardonnay

Alcohol 13.5%

Closure Screwcap

Producer

Lethbridge Wines is a boutique producer specializing in highly terroirdriven wines from some of the best vineyards in Geelong, chosen after an exhaustive search in the mid-1990s. With total quantity capped at 5,000 cases, the focus is on quality and individuality, and environmental sustainability is also key: Lethbridges own vineyard is farmed biodynamically, and the winery design is minimal-impact, requiring no heating or cooling. Lethbridge is garnering critical acclaim and a cult following in Australia, and Berkmann is honoured to be their first importer worldwide.

Vineyard

The fruit used here comes from low-yielding 35-year-old vines in the historic Rebenberg vineyard at Mt Duneed, and was hand picked.

Winery

The grapes were whole-bunch pressed straight into new 500-litre French oak barrels and fermented (unclarified) with indigenous yeast. Following the end of fermentation, there was daily lees stirring during malolactic and a further fifteen months on gross lees before bottling.

Taste

Combining burgundian structure with refined, focused flavours, this remarkable wine is intense and layered, with citrus blossom, hazelnut, anise, apricot, gun flint and mineral flavours. Despite this complexity it remains powerful and grippy, with outstanding balance and length.

This wine is intense, revealing layer after layer of nuance. Citrus blossom, hazelnut, anise, apricot, gun flint and mineral flavours mingle with the firm structure and creamy texture. The wine is rock solid at the core, flawlessly focused and extremely long, with great acids and grip on a very minerally finish. 

Press

A completely seductive and savoury bouquet of charcuterie, grilled cashews, grapefruit and well handled spicy oak; the palate is a revelation of complexity and freshness, able to capture the ability of this wonderful grape to produce simply scintillating wines. 96 points, James Halliday Australian Wine Companion , July 2012