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Robert Parker The Wine Advocate reviews a vertical of Palladian Chardonnay
Here at FGE we value everyone who takes an interest in our wine, especially those who share their views via the media, and we are particularly proud of the commentary coming out of the prestigious Robert Parker Wine Advocate in August 2023 around our premier-tier Palladian Chardonnay. In short, The Wine Advocate has, in a vertical assessment of the past six Palladian Chardonnay vintages, provided a ringing endorsement of everything we strive for here, both in the vineyard and the winery.
TWA’s only Australian reviewer, Erin Larkin, knows our wines, our history and our vineyard, which makes the observations she shared with The Advocate’s international audience particularly gratifying. Rating five of the past six vintages in the 96-100 points bracket (“Extraordinary”) and the sixth - 2022 - at 95 points (“Outstanding”) Larkin summarised the wine thus: “The Palladian Chardonnay is a singularly classy, sleek, refined Chardonnay from Wilyabrup, and the vertical proved this stance. It's a lovely lens for the seasons and is aging gracefully. Very smart wines.”
More broadly, Larkin states: “Under the winemaking direction of Clive Otto, Fraser Gallop has built their reputation on the quality of their Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons. I would say the house style is refined and elegant across all varieties. The 2021 Palladian Chardonnay was an astoundingly pure, crystalline, sleek example of Margaret River Chardonnay. It took my breath away.”
Robert Parker Wine Advocate describes itself as the world’s premier independent wine buyer’s website with a database of more than 450,000 tasting notes, scores and reviews from professional critics around the world. For over 40 years, Robert Parker Wine Advocate (a part of the MICHELIN Group of companies) has been the global leader and independent consumer’s guide to fine wine, with its 100-point rating system and in-depth coverage of major wine regions. Needless to say we are delighted by the recognition of such as prestigious arbiter in the world of fine wine. Erin Larkin joined TWA as “Australian reviewer” in 2022.
We make only 3 puncheon barrels of Palladian Chardonnay each year. It’s a rare bird. Palladian wines are a pure expression of the finest grapes selected from the best performing rows of our single vineyard.
The reviews:
Palladian Chardonnay 2022
The Palladian style of Chardonnay is glassy, pristine and eminently classy. They are sleek in their exposition of phenolics in the mouth, streamlined in the outlay of fruit flavor and threaded together with invisible acidity in the mouth—juicy and fine. So, the 2022 vintage in Margaret River was warm, flooded with sunshine and punctuated by several heat events through December and January. As a result, we are likely to see many Chardonnays, in particular, that feature alcohols on par with 2021 (a cool season—i.e., 2022 was in many cases picked earlier to mitigate the warmth of the season and to preserve the natural acidity that was undoubtedly softer this season than in many, due to the warmer overnight temperatures) and typified by powerful, generous fruit. Here, the 2022 Palladian Chardonnay is everything we expect from the house style and the vintage in combination. It has powerful, fluffy, enveloping fruit encased in very fine (soft!) acidity, shaped by sleek phenolics. So good! A time capsule. This was made with 100% Gin Gin fruit and 100% new French oak and is 100% delicious. 13.% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
95 points
Palladian Chardonnay 2021
The 2021 Palladian Chardonnay is a svelte, sapid iteration of Chardonnay from this region, showing us a peacock-tail splay of acid, fruit and phenolics—each in perfect tension with the others. There are notes of crushed nuts, white peach, layers of brine, sandalwood, saffron curls and orange blossom. What a wine! This is only getting better with age. Superb. The 2021 season was cool, and the Chardonnay wines are precise and focused. Here, so intense! Achingly so. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
Under the winemaking direction of Clive Otto, Fraser Gallop has built their reputation on the quality of their Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons. I would say the house style is refined and elegant across all varieties. The 2021 Palladian Chardonnay was an astoundingly pure, crystalline, sleep example of Margaret River Chardonnay. It took my breath away.
97+ points
Palladian Chardonnay 2020
In this six-vintage vertical (2022 - 2017), the 2020 Palladian Chardonnay stands apart aromatically, with hints of dried straw, lemongrass, layers of preserved citrus and even turmeric. Smoked almonds and sandalwood emerge in the mouth along with fleshy yellow peach. It is complex and ripe, and the palate shows a superb phenolic richness and sapid fruit core. Superstar. While I think the 2021 is a slightly better wine (reflected in my score), if you asked me which wine I'd prefer to drink, right now, I'd say this without question. Totally seductive and succulent. A beauty. Getting better, too. 12.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
96+ points
Palladian Chardonnay 2019
The 2019 vintage in Margaret was a lovely one! It was cool and wet but generally well-handled in the vineyards and responsible for wines that are poised, detailed and aromatic. I love the 2019s, on the whole. The 2019 Palladian Chardonnay leads with preserved citrus, blueberry, white peach, green apple, layers of exotic spice and brine, sandalwood, turmeric and saffron. The fruit is intense in the mouth and spicy too. There is a hint of guava through the finish. This is another lovely wine. 12% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
96 points
Palladian Chardonnay 2018
The 2018 vintage in Margaret River will go down as one of the greats. It has met veiled criticism in the years since its release, for being too ripe, too powerful, etc. That is a stylistic call that you are free to make for yourself, however it is important to note that out in the vineyards during the growing season, the weather could hardly have been more favorable. On top of a complete lack of weather events that can lead to viticultural pressure, the surrounding marri trees were loaded with blossoms, reducing bird pressure as well. All told, it was a pretty sensational season. The wines have showed that in bottle, in their power, grace and balance. So, this 2018 Palladian Chardonnay shows all of the ripe plushness of the season, in its exotic and opulent outlay of fruit in the mouth. There is star anise and cut fennel, crushed nuts and brine, layers of ripe stone fruit and even a hint of loquat and lemongrass through the finish. The lingering impression is of Indian spices—cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon. The most impressive part about this wine is the length of flavor that dominates the mouth long after the wine is gone. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
97 points
Palladian Chardonnay 2017
The 2017 season in Margaret River was cool and wet, and it threw up many viticultural challenges for producers. On the whole, I far prefer the Chardonnays from this year than the Cabernets, although that is of course a generalization and prone to exception. The 2017 Palladian Chardonnay is toasty and rich, with notes of buttered toast, custard powder, fresh pretzel, crushed nuts (toasted cashews, predominantly), yellow peach and nashi pear. In the mouth, the exotic Indian spice comes to the fore, with saffron, turmeric, fennel and sea salt among the front runners. There is so much going on here: a testament to the agile negotiation required by the season.
96 points
23/08/2023 at 12:49 PM
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Halliday Wine Companion 2024 Reviews
Once again Fraser Gallop Estate received the highest 5 red star rating in the Halliday Wine Companion describing our house style as “very much on the precise, pure end of the spectrum”.
The Parterre range was singled out once more as offering “consistent, indelible, compelling value for money.”
The wines reviewed in the 2024 Halliday Wine Companion are:
Palladian Chardonnay 2021
“A wine that commands respect, yet it is a wonderful drink. It’s complex and detailed with excellent fruit at its heart, a pulse of refreshing acidity, fabulous smoky oak and hints of funky sulphides rendering this savoury. It lingers long, It’s persuasive. Classy with a capital C.” - Jane Faulkner
Parterre Chardonnay 2021
"One taste and a laser lightshow starts up. This is so racy, juicy and succulent it speeds across the palate. Stop. Reflect. Grapefruit and Meyer lemon, a smidge of creamy lees and lemon curd texture, plus wood spices with the oak seamless. Mostly, it’s mouth-watering, flinty, fine and exceptionally long. Wonderful wine.” - Jane Faulkner
Parterre Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2020
"Even if appealing in youth such an oak-aged style generally needs time to settle and chill out. And this will follow such a route. In the meantime, it’s fragrant with finger lime and snow peas with a snip of fresh herbs and lots of nutty, toasty oak. There’s also a waxy/lanolin character and no shortage of acidity to keep this alive for another 10 years” - Jane Faulkner
Parterre Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
As usual, a tiptop Parterre with enticing florals giving way to mulberries and boysenberries, dried herbs, choc-mint and more besides. It’s medium bodied and wonderfully savoury with powdery tannins and great length. And it will age gracefully.” - Jane Faulkner
Palladian Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
"There’s plenty of flavour packed into this from ripe fruit and cedary oak, yet it remains just shy of full bodied and the palate is far from unwieldy. Blackberries, dark cherries coated in all manner of spices with wafts of tobacco and choc-mint. It seems a tad forward but there’s depth and structure, too, with hazelnut skin tannins adding more shape” - Jane Faulkner
15/08/2023 at 5:25 PM
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Vintage Report 2023
“Well I guess you could say the conditions were so rare it was a unicorn vintage”, smiles viticulturist Mike Bolas, “the long, dry and cool season gave us slow, even ripening across the fruit. After 25 years our vines are at an age where very little intervention is required so we had the luxury of picking at the optimum time to allow flavour intensity, tannins and sugars to develop with balance and harmony.
Winemaker Clive Otto is already excited about the wines, “The chardonnay are elegant and fresh with lovely natural acidity.”, he says, “The cabernets are inky and dense, wonderfully intense but with very fine tannin structure. 2023 vintage could easily rival 2018 for top honours. The proof is in the barrel.”
We look forward to sharing the fruits of our labours with you in the future.
15/08/2023 at 5:20 PM
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GOLD at Decanter World Wine Awards 2023
13/06/2023 at 1:39 PM
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Wine and Chocolate
Wine and chocolate are two indulgences that are often enjoyed separately, but have you ever considered pairing them together?
Done right, the combination of wine and chocolate can create a symphony of flavours that tantalises the senses.
To create the perfect pairing, consider the characteristics of both the wine and the chocolate. Here are some tips to help you find the perfect match:
Consider the intensity of the chocolate. Dark chocolate has a higher percentage of cocoa and a more intense flavour, while milk chocolate and white chocolate are sweeter and milder. The intensity of the chocolate should be balanced with the intensity of the wine.
Match the sweetness levels. A general rule of thumb is to match the sweetness of the wine with the sweetness of the chocolate. A sweeter wine will complement a sweeter chocolate, while a drier wine will balance out a darker, more intense chocolate.
Think about the flavours. Certain wines and chocolates have complementary flavour profiles that work well together. For example, a rich, full-bodied red wine pairs well with dark chocolate with hints of cherry or raspberry, while a sweet white wine complements milk chocolate with notes of vanilla.
We've been having some fun with our guests at cellar door and we've found the most popular wine and chocolate pairings include:
- Parterre Cabernet Sauvignon with dark chocolate with cherry or raspberry notes
- Merlot with milk chocolate with hints of vanilla or caramel
- Our Ice Pressed Chardonnay with white chocolate with fruity or floral notes
When it comes to wine and chocolate pairings, there's no right or wrong answer. It's all about experimenting and finding the combination that works best for you. So, this Easter, grab a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, and start exploring the delicious world of wine and chocolate pairings. Cheers to a sweet and savoury adventure!
28/03/2023 at 1:06 PM
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