High praise from Ray Jordan for Passel Estate’s latest releases

We are thrilled to release our new vintages to a flurry of fantastic reviews for Wine Pilot, from leading Western Australian wine writer, Ray Jordan.

Passel Estate 2020 Chardonnay:  95 Points

“A slightly subdued peaches and cream aroma greets initially. There’s a trace of oatmeal and grapefruit with a slight cut pear nuance. This was quite a small vintage in Margaret River, yet the power of the fruit is evident. This is one of the most powerful yet linear Passel chardonnays I have seen and it is clearly one of the best.”

Passel Estate 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon:  96 points

“2018 will be regarded as one of the greatest, if not the greatest Margaret River cabernet vintages. This is a beautiful example, and I do like the slightly more restrained way the wine has been presented. Perhaps the extra year in bottle before release has helped. Dominant black currant with a little brick dust and graphite on the nose. The palate is seamlessly smooth with the tight core of minerally tannins and fine grained oak supporting it through to a very long finish. A class wine.”

Passel Estate 2018 Lot 71 Reserve Syrah:  96 points

“I expected this would be a cracker from this vintage and it hasn’t disappointed. It is clearly the best of these yet released and like the cabernet the extra year in bottle has helped immeasurably. Has a spicy dark cherry and light plummy character with a light dollop of dark chocolate. The mouth feel is superb. Smoothly constructed with whole bunches fermentation and 16 months in large format French oak of which about a third was new. So the oak doesn’t dominate but plays a significant role.”

Passel Estate 2019 Shiraz:  94 points

“Like a lot of the reds from this cooler Margaret River vintage, the opulence of the 2018 has been replaced by a more linear elegance synonymous with the cooler year. This is a beautifully balanced and most poised shiraz displaying a spicy plum and slightly blue fruit character. It sits in the medium bodied zone but with a tight core and generous fruit through to the long finish. A sophisticated wine.”