Campbell Mattinson

The Wine Front 97 Points

The line of acidity here is keen but it’s grapefruit-driven rather than pure citrus, which is a good if not great thing, and it has the scaffolding of both fruit and flint to make it work, as does the general infusion of creamy, cedarwood oak. This release of Heytesbury looks as though it’s been set for the long-term rather than for short-term enjoyment; it’s the kind of wine that folks will be marvelling over in twenty plus years, so outstanding is its quality. It’s powerful, it’s long, it’s nuanced and it’s complex. Stash some of this release. It’s a beauty, and will turn out magnificent.

Matthew Jukes

100 Best Australian Wines 2025

Made from all Gingin clone, all wild fermented and made from the ‘best-of-the-best’, this is a wickedly brilliant wine and the epitome of precision-built luxury.

Ryan Montgomery

James Suckling 97 Points

An intensely complex and inviting nose with aromas of lemon curd, grapefruit rind, orange blossoms and gunsmoke. The medium-bodied palate has a textural mouthfeel and vivid acidity, showing notes of lime zest, mandarin pith, fresh pineapple and cookies. Multidimensional and giving with an underlying tension. Exceptional. Drink or hold.

Aaron Brasher

The Real Review 96 Points

Fine, fragrant and pithy aromas of grapefruit, struck match, melon skin, jasmine, just-ripe white peach, wet slate and green mango. Textured, focussed and layered, with concentration, purity and precision. Stone fruit, citrus, nutty oak, nougat and slatey, mineral acidity are all driving the palate. There’s texture, length and absolute class here.

Erin Larkin

The Wine Advocate 97 Points

The 2023 Heytesbury Chardonnay reveals all the poise and balance we expect from the season. It is awesome. This feels totally weighted on the back palate. The fruit intensity, coupled with powerful acidity and phenolic presence, fully penetrates beyond mere "flavor experience" and dives deep into the senses; the only option left is to ride that wave until it slowly fades. It's a persistent, sophisticated wine of latent power and patience. While this is released two years from harvest, it doesn't start to show its complex potential until around five years from harvest and far beyond that. It's slow to emerge and slow to age. This is a 100% Gingin clone Chardonnay, matured in French oak barriques, 52% new, for nine months, with seven months blended in tank prior to bottling. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

The 2023 Heytesbury Chardonnay hails from a pristine vintage in Margaret River. The season was on the cooler side of things but remained very dry and devoid of heat surges. Good weather at flowering meant yields were healthy, and from what I have seen so far, the season seems to have teased the very best from producers right across Western Australia, from all varieties. It truly was "one of those years."

Aaron Brasher

The Real Review 96 Points

Fine, fragrant and pithy aromas of grapefruit, struck match, melon skin, jasmine, just-ripe white peach, wet slate and green mango. Textured, focussed and layered, with concentration, purity and precision. Stone fruit, citrus, nutty oak, nougat and slatey, mineral acidity are all driving the palate. There’s texture, length and absolute class here.

Campbell Mattinson

Campbell Mattinson 96 Points

The line off acidity here is keen but it’s grapefruit-driven rather than pure citrus, which is a good thing, and it has the scaffolding of both fruit and flint to make it work, as does the general infusion of creamy, cedarwood oak. This release of Heytesbury looks as though it’s been set for the long-term rather than for short-term enjoyment; it’s the kind of wine that folks will be marvelling over in twenty plus years. It’s powerful, it’s long, it’s nuanced and complex. Stash it. It will turn out magnificent.

Andrew Caillard MW

The Vintage Journal 97 Points

Pale colour. Intense grapefruit, bitter lemon aromas with roasted almond, vanilla notes. Pure, buoyant and refined with fresh grapefruit, honey dew melon, tonic water flavours, fine loose knit al dente textures, attractive creamy mid-palate and well-integrated marzipan vanilla notes. Finishes chalky, crisp and minerally. Delicious wine. Drink now – 2036.

Tyson Stelzer

Tyson Stelzer 98 Points

A sensational Heytesbury that captures all the finely-etched detail of the great, cool 2023 harvest and unites it with the wonderfully textured mouth feel of wild fermentation on full solids. It carries an incredible, effortless poise, capturing the full concentration and presence of the gin gin clone and at the same time finesse, energy and grand endurance. A true Grand Cru Chardonnay and one of the great Heytesburys.

Cassandra Charlick

Decanter 97 Points

Complex on the nose, it engages and demands full attention. There’s the classic Heytesbury wild edges, wrapped around a firm classy core. Flint, citrus blossom, toasty perfumed oak, gentle spice, dried ginger, preserved lemon, dried thyme, pink grapefruit, curry leaf and oat biscuit. A little kefir lime in there for good measure. The palate is revelatory in its mouth-filling perfume, salty haze and pillowy core of fruit concentration. A filigree of layers, fine phenolics and detailed texture, sea spray acidity and a cushioning of oak to carry the fruit’s narrative. Delicious as it is, but will offer plenty for those that wait. Made from 100% Gingin clone, with 52% new French oak for nine months, followed by seven months in tank.

Jeni Port

Wine Pilot 97 Points

Offers a great sense of grace and elegance. A cool, very dry season like 2023 brings its own perception of character and fineness, but the vineyard selection of fruit and winemaking a la Virginia Willcock-style with its own touch of originality, takes Heytesbury to another level altogether. There is a complexity you could jump over, but the drinker never feels alienated or overwhelmed such is the utter drinkability at the heart of the wine with its layers of floral aromatics, citrus, stone fruits, fig, baked quince and warm-hearted creamy oak. Throughout, a savoury thread endures, a tantalising trip that is gently earthy, gingery, wild and textural. Heytesbury is one delicious, amazing taste sensation.