Nose
A wine bouncing from the glass with fresh and rare fruit notes of mixed citrus , melon, peach and apricot. These primary aromas are subtly enhanced with caramel and vanilla spice, adding complexity, excitement and anticipation.
Palate
The palate exudes fleshy primary fruits, layered with nutmeal, lemon butter and brioche. A chalky, mineral texture and fresh citrus acidity continues the bounce.
Growing Conditions
Across the temperate south west of Western Australia, the winter of 2015 was typically dry and mild yet sufficiently wet enough to fill catchments. The spring, less blustery than preceding years and the start to summer, warm to hot. All in all, a promising start. As summer progressed, the early warmth suggested a rapid fire, short vintage. Then in the third week of January, this prediction was derailed by a significant (65 to 90 mm in one day) and unprecedented deluge. The rain proved to be more of a blessing than a curse due to the dryness of the soil profile and the timing of the event. With verasion well advanced in late January, the native marri bloomed throughout the region, keeping the birds otherwise occupied, a complete about – turn to 2015. The “bird pressure” as we call it, has a significant impact on quality, quantity and stress levels in any vintage. The remainder of the vintage progressed with little weather distractions.
Winemaking
All of the individual vineyards that contribute to Miamup Chardonnay are vinified separately. Each batch is hand-picked at between 12.2 to 12.5 ºBe and cooled over night before sorting and whole bunch pressing to extract the free run juice. Fermentation and malo-lactic occurs in a combination of new and older French oak. Temperature of fermentation is controlled between 18ºC to 22ºC and the lees are stirred regularly from the end of fermentation and throughout the malo-lactic. After 7 months in barrel, the wine was blended then fined and filtered before bottling.
