Description
"La Meilleure is a blend of fruit from the Coal River Valley, Tasman Peninsula, East Coast and a touch of Tamar Valley in the North. Other than being situated in Tasmania, these regions have nothing in common from a viticulture perspective. Coal Valley is black cracking clays over limestone and deep dolerite clays. The fruit is very powerful and expressive. Tasman Peninsula is where the penguins like to hang out… it’s cold, windy, salty, producing fruit with tension and laser like acidity. East Coast fruit can be very powerful if left to hang to “optimum ripeness”. We tend to pick earlier for the best results. Quite a lot of the lovely struck match/mineral sulphide in this wine comes from the East Coast portion. The sprinkling of Tamar Valley fruit in this wine is from one of our best sparkling blocks. It had a lovely pithy oyster shell character that we thought worked well in the blend. The fruit sourcing is 45% Coal River Valley, 25% Tasman Peninsula, 25% East Coast and 5% Tamar Valley." - Liam McElhinney, Head Winemaker
"Pale straw in the glass with aromas of white peach, nectarine and grapefruit with a nice match/sulphide nuance and hints of soft spice, oatmeal, white flowers, nougat, lemon curd and clotted cream. There is impressive detail, clarity and composition here with a long, wonderfully expressive pure flow across the palate on rails of mineral and stone. A picture of tension and release. Beautiful drinking." - 97 Points, David Brookes, Halliday Wine Companion
"Peach, pear, grapefruit and lime, brine, struck match, almond meal, aniseed and spice. It’s a juicy number, cinnamon oatmeal, lime pie, chalky and flinty, some Parmesan rind umami quality, electric acidity through a creamy frame, with a long finish that’s all chalk dust and lime rind. So distinctive and individual. A great glass of Chardonnay here." - 96 Points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
