Palate
Stone fruit and lifted apricot blossom give way to a seductively flinty nose.Textural citrus acidity is intensified by the characteristic vineyard note of orange zest. The north facing gravel slopes, and southern locality of this vineyard ensure that this wine is both powerful in fruit concentration, and restrained by balanced acidity.
Growing Conditions
The Hazel’s Vineyard is in the southern part of the Margaret River region. These chardonnay vines grow on coarse lateritic soils with a northerly aspect.
Winemaking
A warm spring with a full water table ensured good flowering and crop set. Summer was moderate with a large rain event mid vintage ensuring wines were never stressed. Picking dates were consistent with recent averages. Fruit was hand-picked in the morning hours. Fruit whole bunch pressed, with no fining or settling, and transferred to barrel with full solids. Native yeast began fermentation after two days, with fermentation lasting for two weeks. Wines were sulphured at the beginning of Winter, allowing adequate yeast autolysis for complexity and texture, but prevention of malolactic fermentation.
