Vasse Felix Adams Road Chardonnay 2003

A unique style of Chardonnay, the 2003 Vasse Felix Adams Road blends the buttery, fruit driven characteristics of New World Chardonnay with the flinty dry minerality of a true French Chablis. Butter, apple, and hints of tropical fruit dominate the nose of the 2003Adams Road Chardonnay. Yet, the flavor profile of this wine certainly leans more towards that of Chablis, where the soil and climate produce a very sleek, dry white wine with the unmistakable savor of lemon oil and mineral. And like French Chablis, a little aeration (15-20 minutes) is in order here, as it tends to bring out the subtlety and nuance of flavor within this attractive Chardonnay. And given this estate’s style and track record for producing fairly long-lived wines, we believe the 2003 Vasse Felix Adams Road Chardonnay will continue to develop in bottle until at least its third birthday, so no need to hurry this child along. For most palates, the optimal temperature for consuming this wine falls between 40°- 45° F. Enjoy!

Given its distinctive Chablis like style and Western Australia’s enviable position astride the Indian Ocean, the 2003 Vasse Felix Adams Road Chardonnay seems built for seafood, especially shellfish. Oysters – on the half shell, fried or sautéed – constitute a classical match-up. Sautéed scallops in white wine and herb butter; steamed lobster, served with drawn butter; crab cakes, prepared with an herb and saffron suffusion; and seafood stew, with mussels, clams and local fish all provide excellent partnerships with this classically wrought Chardonnay. Calamari, freshly sautéed in a savory sauce, provides another fine marriage. A warm night offers another splendid accompaniment to this thirst quenching Chardonnay – just pop a bottle and watch the sun fade into the sea and the heat of the day give way to the clear, clean liquid passing down your gullet. Ah, yes!

Vasse Felix is the oldest commercial vineyard and winery in Western Australia. Many critics also consider it to be the finest winery in the state. It produces award winning Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay along with a host of other charming wines. Thanks to astute winemaking and an ideal terroir, Vasse Felix consistently fashions compelling wines, which have served to put Western Australia on the viticultural map and raise the eyebrows of the world’s true connoisseurs. At the same time, Vasse Felix has inspired others in Australia’s largest state to follow suit. The name Vasse Felix is derived from the Latin word for luck (Felix) and the name of an early 19th century French sailor (Vasse) who died while exploring the captivating coast of Western Australia we now know as the Margaret River. At first, the name may seem quite ironic, but to anyone who has ever caught a glimpse of this eye-popping place, pure good fortune and a perpetually smiling face are no exaggerations when speaking of this enchanted land. Therefore, to die in such a place is far more fortunate than never to have seen it. Vasse Felix lies tucked among the folds of low hills of the Margaret River, a green temperate corner of Western Australia that sits beside the sea. Here the Margaret River cuts through wooded hills and steep ridges carpeted with wild flowers, before sighing almost inaudibly into the gleaming Indian Ocean. Crystalline waters and high rolling surf offer Australia’s finest surfing as well as its most compelling seascapes. These very same waters, along with steady ocean breezes, a unique soil, and a Mediterranean climate also make Margaret River one of the finest natural wine producing areas on earth and a great place to peacefully whittle away time.