Nose

Fermentation in stainless steel tank allows the full expression of Chardonnay fruit aroma without the influence of oak or lees resulting in a bright, clean tropical fruit bouquet.

Palate

The palate is rich with tropical fruits, clean zippy acidity balances the sweet fruit character resulting in a bright fresh flavoursome palate. When good quality Chardonnay is used unwooded Chardonnay takes on a whole new level of depth and intensity.

Growing Conditions

The year 2020 will naturally go down as a very strange year for obvious reasons. But even before our lives were tipped upside down the 2020 vintage in Margaret River had presented its own mysteries and unusual occurrences.

Another relatively dry winter was followed by the hottest and driest spring ever recorded in the South West. The region experienced the hottest October and November on record with all vine maturity stages being well advanced of normal. So much so that we harvested Chardonnay at Hay Shed Hill in January something we have never done before.

The heat of spring did not extend into summer with the summer of 2020 being relatively mild; in fact, conditions were highly favourable during the early part of summer. It appears that the seasons have just shifted forward a month with an early onset of autumn in the middle of March. This early onset of autumn did not prove to be a problem as most vineyards were picked and finished well ahead of normal.

The fact that a hot spring followed a less than satisfactory winter compromised grape yields across all varieties with crop levels being for the second year in a row uniformly poor. While quantity was low quality cannot be doubted. The whites are fresh and crisply varietal and the reds are vibrant and ripe with that lovely medium body that is the signature of Margaret River.

Winemaking

WINEMAKING: The wine is unwooded, with fermentation occurring in stainless steel tanks and then bottled at an early age. A low temperature, protective regime was adopted during its production, thereby preserving the finer fruit characters.




Appearance

Brilliant appearance, pale straw with green hues.