2001 Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay

The 2001 vintage has provided high quality fruit but was once again very low yielding (only 1.5 tonnes per acre) so the quantity produced is below average. The 2001 Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay is one hundred percent barrel fermented in French oak, 50% of which was new. Only 45% was allowed to go through the malolactic fermentation: this has meant that the finished wine has maintained a tight palate while gaining additional complexity. The Chardonnay was left in barrel for 11 months, with the yeast lees stirred for the first 6 months. Jeff describes this as very much a hand-crafted wine.

The 2001 Grosset Piccadilly Chardonnay is every bit as good as the previous releases of this outstanding small volume white. It has some attractive cedary oak dominating the nose at present, melon and lemony citrus flavours with hints of tropical fruit and some minerally, savoury overtones. This is a vibrant, intense, young chardonnay that has a viscous texture, is rich, concentrated and powerful, already shows some complexity and has the tight structure and mouth-watering acidity to enable it to age at least in the medium term. If you are looking for a single word to describe it, that word would be 'fine'. It is very youthful at present and will be a much better drinking proposition in two to three years. Previous vintages drink superbly from three to five years of age.