How does the Chardonnay Challenge winner taste? Deep Woods Reserve Chardonnay 2013

Deep Woods Reserve Chardonnay 2013 (Margaret River, WA)
13.5%, Screwcap, $45

I’m on a little ‘trophy taste’ this weekend, first the Bleasdale Pinot Gris and now this Chardonnay – which took out the 2014 James Halliday Chardonnay Challenge and now has a ridiculous wine show score of 98/100.

98 point or not this is a well made wine. It’s built in that modern Oz ‘grapefruit and acid’ form, with minimal oak influences and what looks like minimal MLF. The nose carries unsalted cashews, grapefruit and a little regional green melon, but you’d hardly call it expressive – more delicate than that, backed by a grapefruity palate framed by acid rather than fruit flavour. It’s long, but awfully dry and linear, almost to the point of being ungenerous and monosyllabic.

Every bit the modern grapefruity Chardonnay, but also just a little lean and aneamic, this is very well made but I’d dearly love a little more lees richness/winemaking derived complexity, as this feels just a little boring and overly lean. Length bumps up the points though – it goes on and on, plus it should look great with more bottle age.

Source: Sample
Tasted: Nov 2014
Drink: 2014-2018+
Score: 18.1/20, 93/100
Would I buy it? Not yet.
Buy online: Fogarty wines website