Nocturne SV Forrest Vineyard Chardonnay 2023

"The best Nocturne SV Chardonnay to date. I feel unequivocal on this."  Julian Langworthy
"What a wine. Yes. The best release under this label yet."  Erin Larkin

Nocturne is a venture spearheaded by winemaker Julian Langworthy, regarded as one of the most talented winemakers in Australia and James Halliday's 2019 Winemaker of the Year. Nocturne produces a range of single vineyard and sub-regional wines from exceptional sites in Margaret River. The 2023 Nocturne SV Forrest Vineyard Chardonnay is sourced from the Forrest Vineyard in the Wilyabrup sub-region which is planted to the classic WA Gin Gin clone. It is dazzlingly vibrant, stylish and a real joy to drink.

"Flashy gunsmoke reduction straight off, making way for pink grapefruit, lemon sherbet, lemon rind and oyster shell. There’s impact here, but its alluring restraint draws you deeper into the glass. The palate is intense, precise and architectural with firm, chalky phenolics providing shape for which the wine’s immense power can be funneled. Nectarine, nougat, fine cedar, grapefruit pith, salted lemon, and brine shoot through the mouth in a coiled-but-potent aesthetic with the grip and saline acid drawing remarkable freshness and length through the finish. This wine takes you on a journey as it evolves in the glass. Power, line, complexity, structure and finesse. An outstanding release."  Jasper Morris MW

"2023 - it’s a thing and so is this wine. The best Nocturne SV Chardonnay to date …. Yes correct; I feel unequivocal on this. For a wine to have massive complexity and intensity but do it in a way that’s so harmonious, it’s hard to sort of even realise it’s an assault to the senses - that’s when you know you have something special on your hands.

The fruit is from a single site, the Forrest Vineyard in the Wilyabrup sub-region of Margaret River. Moreover, this wine is from a tiny ridge section from within the middle of this vineyard, selectively picked for this wine. Planted to the classic, WA Gin Gin clone, it’s a wine of unbelievable natural acid presence and structural drive. The vineyard is otherwise largely flat and quite close to the coast, some 3 kms only and is planted on deep silver-grey sands. The picking date is generally relatively early in the Chardonnay season given the vineyard’s low yielding nature.

This is an exciting site that holds amazing acid structure and lovely al dente tannin. It needs some time to truly unfurl, unfold, and show its true colours, but one sniff will show, that it has the character that Nocturne’s SV Chardys are famous for: Flint, funk, just ripe stone fruit, citrus and hope…. In hope that change is always to grow and to hopefully improve. Get around this wine, bright with flint, funk and grilled lime, it’s a bright new future out there."  Julian Langworthy, Winemaker

Expert reviews

"The 2023 Single Vineyard Chardonnay is from the Forrest vineyard in central Wilyabrup, to the north of Margaret River town. The 2023 season that birthed it was magnificent - the best this century for whites; the premium reds are yet to be released. Mild temperatures, a long, dry growing season meant there was little to no pressure in the vineyard. The fruit was in brilliant condition, and the wines show this. The 2023 Single Vineyard Chardonnay leads with elegantly managed reduction, showing curry leaf and brine, white flowers, flint and salted nuts, beeswax, sea spray and fresh pressed linen. This is a pleasure to smell and even better to taste. Ductile, resolved phenolics provide shape on the palate, while the toasty oak sits neatly folded into the fruit. What a wine. Yes. The best release under this label yet. 13% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink:  2024 - 2038."  Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate - 97 points

"From the Forest Vineyard in the Wilyabrup sub-region. Flashy gunsmoke reduction straight off, making way for pink grapefruit, lemon sherbet, lemon rind and oyster shell. Air sees an unfurling of nectarine skin, cedar and a deeper brine-like salinity adding savoury appeal. There’s impact here, but its alluring restraint draws you deeper into the glass. The palate is intense, precise and architectural with firm, chalky phenolics providing shape for which the wine’s immense power can be funneled. Nectarine, nougat, fine cedar, grapefruit pith, salted lemon, and brine shoot through the mouth in a coiled-but-potent aesthetic with the grip and saline acid drawing remarkable freshness and length through the finish. This wine takes you on a journey as it evolves in the glass. Power, line, complexity, structure and finesse. An outstanding release. Drink from 2025-2035."  Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy – 97 points

"A beautiful expression of this vintage in a wine that reveals the extraordinary fruit of the season augmented with clever winemaking to bring out the energy and vibrancy within. The lightly struck match influence on the nose is evident immediately as it sits neatly with the rich crème brulee and quince-like roasted cashew characters. There is depth here, and richness, all held with admirable composure through to a precise long finish. One of his best. Cellar 9 years."  Ray Jordan, Ray Jordan Wine - 96 points

"This classy and refined single-vineyard chardonnay is very expressive and mineral with notes of preserved lemons, lime curd and flint. The medium-bodied palate has high-tension acidity, giving powerful notes of grapefruit rind, candied lime zest and chalk. Drink or hold. Screw cap."  James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com - 95 points

About the winery

Nocturne is a venture spearheaded by winemaker Julian Langworthy, regarded as one of the most talented winemakers in Australia. Nocturne produces a range of single vineyard and sub-regional wines from exceptional sites in Margaret River. 

Julian grew up in Margaret River and it is where he has transformed Deep Woods Estate since joining them in 2011 on his return to the region. Under his leadership, Deep Woods has been awarded more than 60 trophies and 200 gold medals across major national and international wine shows. He is also Chief Winemaker for the rest of the wineries in the Fogarty Wine Group (FWG).

Julian has also received many personal accolades, including James Halliday's 2019 Winemaker of the Year, Ray Jordan's Winemaker of the Year and a Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year nominee. His impressive career has also included vintages in France and Canada, and senior winemaking roles in the Barossa Valley, Clare Valley and Coonawarra.

Nocturne is the culmination of Langsworthy's experience throughout his career, his relationship with growers and his love for his hometown. He is acutely sensitive to the best fruit sources in the region and has an unwavering commitment to the best Margaret River has to offer. 

Julian’s favourite grape variety is Cabernet Sauvignon, arguably the crown jewel of Margaret River. Fruit for the Nocturne SV (Single Vineyard) Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from the newly acquired Sheoak Vineyard in the Wilyabrup sub-region and its beautifully mature Cabernet vines. Julian has always worked with cabernet sauvignon and when asked to compare Margaret River cabernet sauvignon to that from other regions, he replied:

"To me, cabernet sauvignon is Australia’s best grape variety, and as a region, Margaret River is cabernet nirvana. Even the hottest day of the year doesn’t reach over 30 degrees and, in the afternoon, sea breezes come in to cool everything down; overnight temperatures usually sit at about 12 to 14 degrees, which is perfect for cabernet.

It ripens slowly, so we get lovely tannin development without too much sugar, which results in fully ripe, medium-bodied wines that aren’t monstrously high in alcohol. That’s exactly what we want to achieve. I also think Margaret River cabernet is quite an international style – it has that lovely, lush tannin ripeness without the "heat" you might get from warmer regions.

I believe it has more in common with international regions than it does with South Australia or Victoria, with a level of complexity that I don’t see elsewhere in Australia. I believe that in Margaret River, we can make the best cabernet in the world, which is pretty exciting. That said, I love old Coonawarra cabernet and I really enjoy Yarra Valley cabernet, too."

The following article by James Halliday is reproduced from: https://winecompanion.com.au/resources/awards/2019/winemaker-of-the-year

My selection of Julian Langworthy as Winemaker of the Year caused me to ponder on the three greatest winemakers of the 20th century: Maurice O’Shea of Mount Pleasant Wines, Colin Preece of Seppelt’s Great Western and Max Schubert of Penfolds (Schubert’s masterwork, Grange). They plied their trade in a market where fortified wines, largely sold in saloons and hotels, reigned supreme. The one thing they had in common was the balance of their wines underlying their longevity.

Each had a substantial winery that provided support, although that support had its limits. Schubert was able to make the epic voyage to Spain and France in 1950 to study first-hand the making of sherry – it was from that journey that Grange, a Penfolds-banned wine during ’51–’61, saw its almost accidental birth; Preece had personal issues with some of the numerous members of the Seppelt family, with relations souring to the point where he felt compelled to resign; O’Shea was rescued by a number of members of the McWilliam clan – the McWilliams first buying half the shares in Mount Pleasant, and ultimately the other half in the aftermath of the Great Depression. If you take a broad view, these hugely talented winemakers were incidental to their employers’ financial needs, but left in limbo for much of their careers (Schubert was brought out of retirement when the marketing gurus belatedly realised his value). There was no expectation that any one of these winemakers would have any knowledge of, let alone responsibility for, the commercial value or the financial cost of their wines. How different to the wine world of today.

Julian Langworthy is chief winemaker for the Fogarty Wine Group (FWG), the fastest growing wine business in Western Australia. He reports to the Group General Manager, and is responsible for the stylistic direction of all of the FWG wineries and their individual brands. He mentors and manages a team of 12 winemakers and, in conjunction with the Group Chief Viticulturist, is responsible for all fruit purchases – this is in addition to more than 300ha of estate vineyards spread from Hunter Valley in New South Wales to Margaret River in Western Australia.

Julian has particular responsibilities for Deep Woods, with an extensive promotional role for its profile interstate and internationally. He plays a lead role in brand planning, providing wine business acumen and support for the marketing team. He has broad-based human resources responsibilities, including coordination for all site compliance issues, and others too many to mention.

Are his winemaking skills and palate on par with the greats of the 20th century? It’s a question without an answer. But if he is to be compared with the best of today, the answer is an emphatic yes. His wine show successes (and the team he has led) have gold medals flying around the room like confetti, with trophies (including the biggest of all, the Jimmy Watson) equally plentiful. And most of all, he is universally admired and liked by all who have had contact with him and/or the great wines he makes.