2018 Lethbridge Allegra Chardonnay Biodynamic, Geelong

“Powerful style of Chardonnay from Geelong, most often. Stonefruit, preserved lemon, wheat germ, mint and garden herbs, cashew nuts. It’s intense in acidity, but rich in ripe lemon and peach flavour, kind of savoury and saline too, oatmeal and grapefruit, glossy yet flinty, with a finish of huge length and gently nutty oxidative character. Such personality, power, and presence. Wonderful.” 

95 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

“A rich Chardonnay in the context of Australian tendencies to push the linear, reductive and taut. Yet there is no dearth of freshness. White peach, truffled lees and brulee segue to mineral crunch, a lick of classy oak and a long, penetrative finish. This mid-weighted, bottled aged iteration is for flavor hounds as much for those who like textural interplay and considerable complexity. Drink or hold. Screw cap.” 

94 points, Ned Goodwin MW, jamessuckling.com
 

Lethbridge's flagship chardonnay, capable of stopping you in your tracks. With fineness, concentration of fruit and judicious winemaking, this is one of Geelong's best expressions of the grape. Citrus to the fore on the bouquet, with grapefruit, lemon, white nectarine and almond-meal notes. Fine lined throughout with a tantalising theme of bush herbs and lemon thyme. Bright, crystalline freshness to close.

95 points Jeni Port winecompanion.com.au

The Fruit for the Allegra Chardonnay was sourced entirely from the historic Rebenberg Vineyard on Mount Duneed, an area first planted with vines in 1858. The premium fruit comes from over 35 year old vines yielding less than one tonne/acre, and was hand-picked at 13.2 Bé and pH 3.25. Fruit was whole bunch pressed and run into 100% new French oak puncheons (450-500L) without prior clarification. Fermentation occurred with indigenous yeast. Following the end of fermentation, malolactic fermentation occurred in barrel with natural yeasts. Wines were left in barrel on gross lees for a further 15 months prior to marriage and bottling. Extended bottle maturation of this wine will allow the tight complex character of this wine to develop.