Nose
A rich and complex nose of lemon grass, custard apple, cinnamon and flint.
Palate
Flavours of yellow peach, freshly whipped cream and grapefruit introduce the palate, guided by a firm and bristling texture, dotted with white fruit tannin, jasmine and subtle hints of dried thyme. The finish is persistent and laced with tones of wet slate and creamy French oak. Drink now for freshness or be rewarded with cellaring.
Growing Conditions
Warmer than average Spring temperatures got the season off to an early start. The sustained warm, dry, sunny weather through January and February allowed the fruit to ripen steadily with no risk of disease. A cooler front brought rainfall at the end of February and slowed things down, providing excellent ripening and softening of tannins with great flavour development. The perfect ripening conditions resulted in a 2020 vintage of outstanding fruit quality with great concentration and mouth-watering levels of natural acidity.
Winemaking
Our Chardonnay fruit was harvested in the early hours of the morning, loaded into the press cold, and gently separated from its skins. The very slightly cloudy juice was cold settled for a day and then racked. Fermentation took place in French oak barriques, 35% of which were new. The wine was then left to mature in barrel on its lees for 10 months, with bâttonage occurring every 2 weeks. It received a light fining prior to filtration and bottling.
