Artus Chardonnay 2020 (Domaine Naturaliste)

Enjoy it now, or cellar for up to 15 years. No need to decant before serving. Artus is a layered, complete wine, balancing aromas of butterscotch, incisive citrus fruits, minerality and ripe nectarine. It is crafted from 100% Chardonnay - more specifically, a clone known as "Gingin", harvested from the colder, southern end of Margaret River in Western Australia. Domaine Naturaliste is the personal project of Bruce Dukes, an esteemed wine-maker with an encyclopedic knowledge of Western Australian terroir. Before Domaine Naturaliste, he spent four years working at Francis Ford Coppola’s winery in California, and three decades working in Margaret River’s finest wineries. His vineyards are located in the village of Wilyabrup, on gravelly soils just 7km from the Indian Ocean. On the palate, you are immediately met with a bold, full body, where sharp notes of grapefruit and lime balance out a rich, nutty texture. The fruits were aged in small barrels of French oak. This is a wine with endless layers, elevated aby a tightrope of acidic tension. Hints of minerality, brioche, white-fleshed stone fruit and gunsmoke hover in the background. The finish is long and moreish. It is a truly excellent expression of Western Australian Chardonnay. Consider drinking Artus alongside delicate seafood, risotto or creamy pasta sauces.