Nose
Distinctive ripe yellow stone fruits dominate the rich, full and fragrant bouquet. Ripe yellow nectarine and peach flavours intermingle with creamy caramel, butterscotch and superbly integrated smoky oak nuances.
Palate
There is a richly flavoured full bodied mouthfeel, dominated by a generous ripe stone fruit core. A powerful statement of Margaret River Chardonnay. Butterscotch and nectarine with a creamy, concentrated middle palate. Long and complex.
Growing Conditions
The majority of the fruit for this wine comes from our oldest and most consistent block of
Chardonnay. Block 31 has a total area of 1.5ha and is plated entirely to the Gingin clone, which is favoured for producing the most intense flavoursome fruit.
Bottling
The wine is assembled and prepared for bottling using a cross flow filtering process. Only bentonite is added to the wine so it is clear, no fining agents are used.
Winemaking
Once the desired ripeness has occurred, Block 31 is separated into 4 sections, as determined by flavour profile and acid structure. Each section is hand picked over 2-3 days and chilled over night before delivery to the winery. The desire flavour range is zesty lemon, and some nectarine/white peach, with fresh acidity being vital. The fruit is hand loaded into the press, free from any additions. Nothing is added to the fruit or juice at all the juice is then gently squeezed into a mixture of brand new and 1 year old French oak puncheons and barriques for natural fermentation. Each barrel is numbered for the juice section, and the oak is selected to match the juice section. The wine is fermented naturally (i.e. indigenous/wild yeast) at a variety of temperatures ranging from 12 to 30 degrees C. At the completion of fermentation the barrels are topped 50% of the barrels were allowed to go through natural malolactic fermentation. Baronage is conducted for 3 months, then the wines are allowed to mature. After 12 months in oak, the barrels are individually assessed and rated on a scale of 1-5. Only the top rating barrels make The Bartondale. The remaining barrels are declassified.
Aging
12 months in oak.
Appearance
Bright and light golden.
