Bass Phillip 'Premium' Chardonnay 2022

Bass Phillip is by some stretch Gippsland's best winery and arguably Australia's greatest maker of Pinot Noir. Founder (& former owner) Phillip Jones ekked out small quantities of of hugely characterful and idiosyncratic wines that, at their best, had no peer in perhaps the Southern Hemisphere. Of course there was the odd miss along the way!

The winery was sold in 2020 to a partnership headed by the highly regarded Jean-Marie Fourrier from Domaine Fourrier in Gevrey-Chambertin. Whilst the intense vineyard management will remain unchanged (low yields, no irrigation, organic principles) there is an expectation consistency, vintage to vintage, will improve.

"A powerhouse of a wine with a mid-gold hue, loads of flavour from white peach, baked quince, lemon, lime and grapefruit juice, zest and pith with ginger and oak spice. Good fruit within, yet ultimately savoury with creamy nutty lees and baked shortcrust pastry. Slippery phenolics add to the full-bodied palate. It's rich but by no means heavy, complex and detailed, contemplative, too. It’s also the last complete vintage for John Durham, who originally came to help Philip Jones with the change-over of ownership but stayed on during the COVID years. He left in late ‘23. Durham helped put mod-Oz chardonnay on the map back in the early Cape Mentelle days, and this is an excellent swan song.ross the palate that is caressed by fine tannins and bright acidity. A bit of a showstopper." 97pts | Jane Faulkner | Halliday Wine Companion

"Bright medium yellow colour, quite ful for its youth, the bouquet very complex and layered with buttery croissant, honey and nougat aromas, vanilla/praline in the background, all of which translate superbly to the full-bodied and powerful palate. Lemon/grapefruit and lime are all present in the delicious mix of fruit and acidity, the middle and finish high-energy and exciting, and loaded with promise. It's superb now and will only improve in the short to medium term. Outstanding chardonnay." 98pts | Huon Hooke | The Real Reviewvic