This elegant Burgundian grape is full of subtleties and complexities. The versatile nature of the grape provides winemakers with a multitude of options to add their individual style.
Our goal with Chardonnay is to produce a distinctive wine that reflects the terroir of our vineyard and the craft of the winemaker in a way that adds intrigue to the natural subtleties and myriad flavours of the grape, rather than overpowering them.
Winemaking notes
In order to develop intense fruit flavours in this wine we picked every bunch at optimal ripeness. This involved hand picking the grapes in three stages. At each harvest we picked only the ripest bunches and left the remainder on the vines to develop to their peak.
The grapes were handled gently, whole-bunch pressed and then slowly barrique-fermented in a cooled environment. This Chardonnay is characterised by its silky smooth texture and an indulgent buttery creaminess. To achieve these qualities we allowed thirty percent of the wine to undergo malolactic fermentation. 100% of this wine was barrique-fermented and barrel-matured on yeast lees for eleven months, in new French oak barriques (40% new). Regular lees-stirring by hand (or batonnage) helped to add richness and complexity of flavour.
The portions of the wine from the three harvests were barrel matured separately and then blended in optimal proportions. Only the premium sixty percent of the Chardonnay was selected for the final blend.
Description
This is an elegant wine with a graceful golden hue. It beckons with a full aroma of ripe golden peach and rock melon and charms with subtle hints of caramel and toasty oak. Luscious ripe flavours of sweet fig, grapefruit and melon follow on a silky smooth palate blessed with an indulgent buttery creaminess. Distinctive and well-integrated oak adds a toasty complexity, and a long, seamless finish completes the experience.
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