Growing Conditions
Solid winter rains filled our dams and allowed for good levels of soil moisture to nourish the developing vines, which burst in September. A couple of well-timed summer showers in January and February topped up the soil moisture during the ripening period, while the warm, windy conditions allowed the grapevine canopies to dry quickly and prevent the risk of mildew. The gentle summer conditions without any heat spikes allowed the fruit to ripen gradually, resulting in a fantastic 2018 vintage in Margaret River, characterised by fragrant perfumes, amazing levels of fruit freshness and succulent 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. Approximately 33% of the barrels were allowed to undergo Malolactic fermentation to aid in softening acidity and to introduce an additional textural component. 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.
Aging
Museum release available from the winery.
