2008 Estate Chardonnay

100% Chardonnay

Region:

Margaret River, Western Australia

Vintage:

2008

Tasting Note

The nose offers an enticing array of stone fruit such as peach and nectarine along with melon. More complex characters of flint, nut meal, honey and spicy vanilla are derived from maturation in French oak barrels on yeast lees. The juicy palate is finely structured with a great depth of fleshy fruit, mealy complexity with everything else in balance with terrific cellaring potential of up to 8 years.

Winemaker's Notes

The 2008 vintage for Chardonnay was warmer just before harvest compared to the cooler start of vintage in 2007. This warmer weather has resulted in slightly higher baumé levels at harvest without sacrificing the range of fruit flavours we desire with the resulting wine being more fruit forward and expressive as a younger wine. These warmer conditions also meant no malo lactic was required to ameliorate the acidity and aging on lees was reduced by 6 weeks.

Technical Data

Variety Chardonnay 100%
Region Margaret River, Estate grown
Oak Whole bunch pressed to barrel, 45% new French oak
Months in Oak 9 months with bâtonnage for 2 months
Picking Dates 19 to 26 February, hand picked
Yield 5.25 t/Ha
Baumé 12.9 to 13.6 Be°
Trellis VSP & Scott Henry
Alcohol 14.0 %
Ferment Natural & inoculated
pH 3.28
MLF 0%
TA 6.5 g/L
RS 1.6 g/L
Yeast Neutral & natural
Production 215 cases
Bottled January 2009
Release Date October 2009