Nose

The Chardonnay 2020 reveals a beautiful and expressive nose of white flowers, yellow peach, beeswax and hints of brioche.

Palate

The palate unveils evenly with great presence, showing lemon curd, yellow peach tart, almond flakes and chou pastry lifted by pink grapefruits notes. Refined, yet powerful, this wonderful wine offers a delicate finish.

Growing Conditions

The winter leading into 2020 was significantly wet - particularly during June when 274mm was experienced across the month. This was followed by a drier than usual start to the growing season and slightly warmer than expected temperatures throughout spring. This soon shifted into a hot summer, causing increased rate of phenological development. January provided a reprieve from the hot weather with uncharacteristically cool/mild conditions. Harvest conditions were ideal - a long window for picking with mild night temperatures. Rainfall began to resume during March after the conclusion of the chardonnay picking period.

Harvest

The fruit in this wine comes from our two southern sites, providing brightness, purity and natural acidity. The blocks are set up on a VSP trellis system and are a combination of spur and cane pruning depending on the block. The value that these parcels provide is their excellent expression of site and region.

Winemaking

Hand-picked Chardonnay from our own vineyards with “one plot one batch” approach, gently pressed and transferred to barrel for wild fermentation. Oak selection focuses on enhancing fruits and specificities of each plot. Wine is then left unsulphured for a few weeks post ferment and undergoes a stirring regime monitored by tasting to build texture and refine structure. In this blend, our Chapman Chardonnay provides generosity and weight while our Crossroad fruit adds another layer of tension to the wine. Essentially, the team aims to interlay each block to ensure that the final wine showcases the unique taste of each sites’ characteristics and clonal diversity.

Aging

10-15 years.

Appearance

Pale yellow.

Food Pairing

Spinach gnocchi with parmesan, chilli crab linguini or cheesy puffs.