Chardonnay

Vintage 2017

WINEMAKING

The fruit for this wine was carefully harvested by hand into small lug boxes and then stored overnight at 5˚C in a cold room. The following morning half of the fruit was whole-bunch pressed and the other half de-stemmed and crushed.After settling, 30% of the juice was racked into barrel without the addition of any yeast for natural fermentation and the remaining juice inoculated before racking into barrels for alcoholic fermentation. Malolactic fermentation then took place naturally in all the barrels and the wine was aged for 11 months in 40% new, 30% 2nd-fill and 30% 3rd-fill French oak barrels with regular bâttonage and stirring of the lees during the maturation period. 

TASTING NOTES

The colour of this wine is a very attractive pale greeny gold, sublimely elegant and classically styled with a little initial restraint on the nose that quickly opens up to show of peachy ripe white stone fruit and mandarin orange flavours. On the palate it displays a generous and rich complexity of citrus and tropical fruit notes, whilst the subtle use of French oak adds butterscotch, spice and a touch of vanilla, which blend nicely with the natural acidity to produce a silky mouth-feel and a fresh, long, rich finish. A wine that is already drinking well, but will also benefit by ageing.