2023 CHARDONNAY

THE STORY

This Chardonnay is a complex dry white. It derives it’s flavours and texture not just from the natural compounds of the grape but with the introduction of barrel fermentation and post ferment batonnage. These elements help to add texture and palate weight to support the grapes naturally generous and elegant fruit flavours.

TASTING NOTES

Fruit for this wine was sourced from the Chittering Valley at the northern end of the Perth Hills and Chidlow in the central Perth Hills. It was hand harvested between 12.2 and 12.6 baume and chilled overnight before crushing and pressing to an extraction of 650 litres per ton. The free run juice was transferred directly to french oak hogsheads and ceramic eggs (Clayver) for fermentation with partial solids. The pressings juice was allowed to settle for 24 hours before racking off solids and fermented cold in stainless steel tanks. These three different components give us a very different results and importantly, provide us with three different blending tools to create the final product. Post ferment the wine was batonnaged (lees stiring) for two months to build palate weight and texture. After eight months maturation the final wine was blended. The resulting wine shows lifted elegant aromatics of nectarine and white peach with subtle sweet vanillian oak, a palate of rounded texture with crisp grapefruit, passionfruit and citrus flavours but with a crisp focused dry finish.

“A soft, buttery expression of chardonnay with toasty, sweet spice laid on ripe peach, green melon, green mango and vanilla characters. Has an old school-good school feel in the best sense, flavour is an asset and the oak seasoning feels judiciously applied. Indeed, the layers of flavour, spice and gentle mineral aspects build with time in the glass, revealing a very triumphant chardonnay of complexity and interest. It ticks many boxes, and as a point of difference, very worthy drinking.- 95 Points” Mike Bennie- Halliday Wine Companion

“A bit of winemaking has gone into this tidy young chardonnay. It was fermented in a combination of new French oak, ceramic egg and stainless steel and then went through a period of battonage after fermentation. It’s a light to medium bodied wine with a good textural feel carrying a mix of cashew and lemon curd with a lift of nectarine and white peach. A most attractive style for the shorter term.” 93 Points Ray Jordan