Fraser Gallop Estate farms a small plot in Wilyabrup, in the heart of Margaret River, where Chardonnay is picked early and handled gently. The 2020 Estate bottling is the estate's calling card: dry, medium-bodied, and built on a spine of high natural acidity.
- Chardonnay, from Margaret River, Western Australia.
- 2020 vintage, 13% ABV.
- Dry, medium body, high acidity, low tannin.
- 750ml bottle, Fraser Gallop Estate.
How it is made
Margaret River sits between two oceans, and the Indian Ocean to the west and the Southern Ocean to the south send cool air across the vineyards through summer. That maritime climate, plus gravelly lateritic soils over clay, gives Chardonnay a long, slow ripening window. The result is fruit that keeps its acid while it builds flavour, which is why the region is known for Chardonnay with both ripeness and tension.
How it tastes
White peach and citrus lead, with lime and lemon notes running through. Cashew and a flinty mineral edge sit underneath, and a hint of cinnamon spice and almond milk appears as the wine opens. The texture is creamy and rounded, held in place by that high acidity, so it finishes dry and clean rather than heavy.
Good to know
Margaret River is a relatively young wine region. Commercial planting only began in the late 1960s, and within two decades the area had earned a reputation for Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon that put it alongside Australia's oldest wine districts. Wilyabrup, the sub-region where Fraser Gallop sits, is often singled out as the source of the region's most concentrated Chardonnay.
