The Apex Twin 2023

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Oakridge The Apex Twin Chardonnay is a special single barrel release that expresses nature and nurture at its zenith. The Apex Twin defines a philosophy that purity, resonance and energy form the essence of the world's greatest chardonnays.

Description

Oakridge The Apex Twin Chardonnay is a special single barrel release that expresses nature and nurture at its zenith. It exquisitely reflects the unique character of a distinguished Yarra Valley vineyard, the craft of winemaking and the art of selection. For two decades, Chief Winemaker David Bicknell has searched for perfection. The Apex Twin defines a philosophy that purity, resonance and energy form the essence of the world's greatest chardonnays.

Wine Details

Region Yarra Valley

State Victoria

Wine Type White Wine

Variety Type Chardonnay

Alcohol Percentage 13.5%

Background

"it's not a limited release, it's an exclusive release" Just 540 bottles produced.

Vineyard Notes

The unirrigated 1990-established Funder & Diamond Vineyard, located in the Upper Yarra Valley, is the source of The Apex Twin Chardonnay 2023. At prime maturity, this Oakridge managed and sustainably farmed vineyard is planted with the highly valuable P58 Chardonnay clone. Of particular note is the low-yielding Drive Block, a 0.66 hectare patch of vines that outperformed neighbouring blocks in the 2023 vintage. Anchored in ancient and healthy red volcanic soils, these chardonnay vines produce fruit with superb aromatics, pure fruit flavours and high tensile acidity.

Winemaker's Notes

A single barrel selection from the Funder and Diamond Vineyard's Drive Block. The wine was vinified and matured in the same two-year-old French oak puncheon. After completion of fermentation the yeasts expired and settled to the bottom of the barrel, forming an under blanket of lees. A clear resonating wine with a fine-boned structure is revealed, but over the next 21 months of barrel maturation these lees interact with the wine; imbuing subtle flavours and promoting oak integration.

Product Reviews (3)

The Real Review - 98pts

“Bright, light yellow colour; an attractive and discreetly complex bouquet of almond-meal, cashewnut, pear, pink lady apple and a hint of milk powder. The wine is delicate and refined in the mouth, gradually filling out as it warms in the glass to a very intense, penetrating flavour with crisp, appley acidity and crunch. The texture is finely woven and silky, superbly even across the palate and focused, with very long persistence. A glorious chardonnay. Power with finesse! Drink 2026–2041” – Huon Hooke

Halliday Wine Companion - 98pts

“Only the second release. From a 0.66ha block within the Funder & Diamond vineyard and fermented and matured in a two-year-old puncheon. Total time on lees, including six months in tank, is 27 months! More aromatic and a touch purer perhaps than the ’22. An essay in elegance and precision. Really mouth-filling and textured but with Oakridge’s trademark focus and tension. And even though this hasn’t, as yet, got a track record, everything, including Oakridge’s reputation, tells me this can be cellared for at least a decade.” – Philip Rich

The Wine Front - 97pts

“The inaugural 2022 release was superb and this 2023 release sits right there alongside it. This is chardonnay magnificence in a bottle. The texture, the flavour, the harmony and the length; everything here screams quality. It tastes of pure peach, cedar, tonic water and grapefruit, with smoked herb and bone-broth umami notes rising through the aftertaste. Everything is pitched perfectly. Everything lingers. Everything inspires awe – and makes you want to guzzle it.” – Campbell Mattinson