Toolangi F Block Chardonnay 2022 (6 Bottles) Yarra Valley
$509.00 GST Included
AUSTRALIA WIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED
Toolangi’s F Block is a one-hectare plot perched on the highest, easternmost sector of the 11-hectare Dixon’s Creek vineyard. Nestled in the corner, within touching distance of the Toolangi State Forest to the northeast and in the afternoon shadow of a large hill to the south, it’s a well-sheltered plot. This position helps preserve the high levels of natural acidity critical to maintaining balance from a site famed for powerful flavour. The soils are shallow and rocky, with more white clay than lower down, which Kaspar Hermann credits with the wine’s sculpted, chalky personality. Yields are always low, rarely providing more than seven or eight barrels, and in this poor flowering year, Hermann had enough for just five. The 19-year-old vines are Gingin clone and produce thick-skinned, full-throated fruit with plenty of spicy nuance and phenolic structure.
F Block Chardonnay is Hermann’s favourite wine to make; he even prunes the block himself. Pressed as whole bunches to oak (20%) for fermentation with full solids, the wine underwent partial malolactic conversion (60%) and matured for nine months on lees in barrel before bottling. Once again, Hermann has struck an exciting balance between depth, texture and finesse. It’s a wonderfully aromatic Chardonnay, evoking floral-accented stone fruits, wispy reduction and a warming spice mix. The palate is fleshy and powerfully structured with a seam of salty minerals and citrus zest on the long, coiled, chalky finish. This is another formidable release for Kaspar & Co.
“It’s a richer style, with some oatmeal savoury flavours, a viscous and glossy feel, but has bright well-integrated acidity. There’s some cinnamon and pastry dough, nectarine and a little spice, some chalkiness to texture, with a smooth finish of excellent length. It’s a full Chardonnay experience, but also shows such fine balance. I like this a lot.” 95 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Description
About Us
Toolangi Vineyards have a clear and seemingly simple strategy; grow and source the highest quality Yarra Valley grapes and put them in the hands of the best winemaker for each varietal. This has served Toolangi well and today it stands as one of the star wineries of the Yarra Valley.
This 2019 Toolangi Yarra Valley Shiraz is a terrific cool-climate Shiraz delivering excellent concentration of fruit and flavour while retaining the fragrant perfume and elegance the region is famous for. At this price it offers superb value Yarra Valley Shiraz drinking from Toolangi.
What is it they say—behind every great winemaker, there is a great viticulturist? The recent return of seasoned viticulturist John Evans marks another leap forward for Toolangi and its wines. Evans was a vital member of the team that designed and planted the Dixons Creek vineyard in 1995. He knows the Yarra like the back of his hand and how to get the best from the Toolangi vineyard. With Evans back on the tiller and Kaspar Hermann’s single-mindedness in the cellar, is it any wonder Toolangi wines have never looked better?
On the one hand, our role as a merchant of all things wine & spirits could not be simpler. We aim to source the most delicious, the most authentic, and the highest quality products possible from Australia and around the world in order to offer them to our clients. We live or die by how well we perform this task. Of course things are rarely as simple or as easy as they seem. Hunting for wines & spirits is no different. Apart from the months spent travelling, countless days and evenings spent tasting and the outrageous wine expenditure in the name of ‘research’, sourcing quality wine and spirits requires expertise and experience. Understanding the potential of a producer and their products is much more than just a slurp and a spit.
