The Wine Advocate RP 94 Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski Release Price: 400 AUD Drink Date: 2019 - 2025 Cloudburst's 2018 Chardonnay was fermented and aged in 50% new French oak, but you'd hardly know it from tasting the wine. Gentle toast and crème brûlée aromas appear on the nose alongside intense pineapple and white peach notes, while the medium to full-bodied palate is plump and silky in feel, with a long, mouthwatering finish. Impeccably balanced, with barely noticeable oak, it can be drunk anytime over the next 5-6 years. American Will Berliner seems more and more comfortable in his adopted Margaret River, despite his assertion that "this was a ‘fell-into’ thing.” His tiny four or five acres of vineyards are all farmed organically and essentially by hand. When he can find reliable help, one of the main chores is pulling weeds among his close-planted, almost bonsai-like vines. He planted the first vines in 2005, but the process continues today, as he continually fills gaps in the vineyard. No supplemental water is used, so some of the vines invariably fail to take proper root and need to be replaced the following year—and sometimes the year after that. Originally, the wines were made at Woodlands, but now Berliner has another facility at his disposal. I find the Chardonnay more consistent, but the Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec (when bottled separately) can also excel. The high pricing—$250 per bottle or more—reflects the scarcity, lack of economy of scale and the intensive labor Berliner devotes to the vineyard.
