Lethbridge Allegra Chardonnay 2018

Lethbridge Allegra Chardonnay 2018 – What a wine!

Lethbridge's flagship chardonnay, capable of stopping you in your tracks. JENI PORT, James Halliday’s Wine Companion

Such personality, power, and presence. Wonderful. GARY WALSH

This mid-weighted, bottled aged iteration is for flavor hounds as much for those who like textural interplay and considerable complexity. JAMES SUCKLING 

FIVE STARS - Lethbridge was founded by scientists Ray Nadeson, Maree Collis and Adrian Thomas. In Ray’s words, ‘Our belief is that the best wines express the unique character of special places’. As well as understanding the importance of terroir, the partners have built a unique strawbale winery, designed to recreate the controlled environment of cellars and caves in Europe. Winemaking is no less ecological: hand-picking, indigenous-yeast fermentation, small open fermenters, pigeage (foot-stomping) and minimal handling of the wines throughout the maturation process are all part and parcel of the highly successful Lethbridge approach. Ray also has a distinctive approach to full-blown chardonnay and pinot noir. JAMES HALLIDAY

While a lot of our customers would be familiar with Lethbridge wines, this bad boy may be new to you. I have to say, when Jeni Port wrote “Lethbridge's flagship chardonnay, capable of stopping you in your tracks.” she nailed the brief. Lets have a little look.

Doc Ray Nadeson is one of the most thoughtful, insightful and determined winemakers I know. Fella could talk the legs off a chair, but whenever he is speaking you listen intently, because he has a lot of really interesting things to say about wine, his and in general. A true wine nerd in every way, Ray always seems to be building on his understanding and developing his overall approach to everything he does. It’s really bloody impressive.

He has a side project as well, doesn’t really make sense to mention it here but it tells you a lot about the guy. Il Modo is his range that are aged in amphora. No one in Australia does it as well as him. He has taken his scientific approach (got to mention that his partner also holds a PhD in chemistry and is equally involved in all aspects of Lethbridge, but Ray does the talking) to understanding wine and applied it as rigorously here as he does with everything else. Working methodically through the years to perfect this set of wines. While still making his fantastic Lethbridge range as well.

The team here are machines! Everything they undertake they set to it with real intent and a drive to achieve the highest possible quality at all levels. It’s a thoroughly impressive operation from top to bottom.

The top, well, that would be the Allegra Chardonnay. The current release, 2018. The result, stunning.

At six years old this really has only just begun to unfurl a little. I would like Ray’s take on the winemaking, but he didn’t answer the phone when I called. Looks like there is some aromatic impact from some solids in the ferment, a bit of reductive funk (I love that). Otherwise it’s a pedal to the metal example. There is a tonne of flavour, a serious dollop of concentration that is sliced through by a focused line of acidity. A whiff of lemon oil carries through to the palate which hits your mouth with serious impact and intent. Long, powerful and intense. This is Chardonnay that makes a statement. It is meant to be for the cellar and that is exactly what it delivers. A powerhouse wine that is impossible not to love.

Well played gang. This is a deadly weapon of a wine and it took all of us who tasted it for a bit of a thrill ride.