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Gutter&Stars
Star 69 Long-player Chardonnay
2022
4.3
Region
England › Essex › Crouch Valley
Type
white · still
Grapes
Chardonnay
Alcohol
12%
Volume
750 mL
Tasting Notes(1)
4.3
Marzipan, flowers, crab. Every wine from this producer I've tried is brilliantly, beautifully weird in the best sense. Rice liquor, sake vibes - there's an umami quality. Superb structure, killer acidity that zips through everything, long finish that keeps evolving. Very interesting and delicious - properly layered, though it's too young to fully reveal itself. Beautiful fruit, smoke, vanilla, grilled lime. The barrel work is masterful without being showy. My wine of the evening, and I'm still thinking about it the next morning.
About
The wine
This Essex Chardonnay from the outstanding 2022 vintage is bold and eye-catching. Pronounced tropical fruit notes hit you first, but peel back the layers and you'll find smoke, vanilla, burnt lemon peel and a fresh acidity that gives the finish a delicious lick of life. Due to the quality of the fruit we were able to long-age two barrels of this wine for 23 months. The grapes come from Missing Gate Vineyard in the Crouch Valley, Essex.
Winemaking
Picked by hand in early-October this small block of Chardonnay (clone FR155) was whole-bunch pressed then cold-settled in tank for 48 hours before being racked into French oak barrels (ex-Burgundy, third and fourth fill).
Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation took place simultaneously in barrel in the cool Gutter&Stars cellar. Fermentation took 48 days. The barrels were topped and the wine matured on its gross lees with no battonage until September 2024 when it was blended and bottled.
In total the Chardonnay spent 23 months in oak, adding roundness, richness and structure to the bold tropical fruit and electric acidity.
The wine was bottled on 12th September 2024. 600 bottles were produced.
Star 69 Longplayer is bottled unfined and unfiltered making it vegan friendly. Due to this hands-off approach the wine may throw a delicate, harmless sediment in the bottle.
What to expect
Look out for lively tropical fruit (limes, lychees and more), woodsmoke, lime cordial acidity, and a rich, rewarding mouthfeel. This will age beautifully for five years or more.
Artwork: 'Blurred 260523' by Chris Wilson/Ed Wright (2024)
Wine name: Both REM and Fatboy Slim recorded tracks called Star 69. There was a English rock band in the mid-90s called Star 69. It's also the American and Canadian version of '1471' on a landline phone.
Bottles produced: 560, each one individually numbered
- Variety: Chardonnay
- Clone: FR155
- Vineyards: Missing Gate Vineyard, Essex
- Harvest Date: 7th October, 2022
- Alcohol: 12% abv
- pH: 3.20
- Titratable Acidity: 8.2 g/L
- Bottled: 12th September, 2024
- Released: 14th February, 2025
--- Gutter&Stars
