Nose
An expressive nose of great intensity and complexity – notes of apricot muesli, nashi pear,
praline and toasty hazelnut nougat, with subtle smokey aromas from the finest quality
French oak.
Palate
The generous palate is ripe, rich and textural – the result of another perfect vintage here in
Margaret River. Fresh stonefruit flavours continue highlighted with a delicious grapefruit
brûlée. The finish has a lingering nuttiness and complexity from the battonage, enhancing the
signature length of flavour which shows great persistence.
Growing Conditions
The warm spring and summer with no extremes in temperature meant that the canopies
were in incredibly good condition at harvest. The lead up to picking saw perfect days and
nights with no rain. The white varieties ripened quickly and evenly. The fruit for this wine is
sourced predominantly from the southern reaches of Margaret River and retained both its
acidity and varietal character, arriving at the winery beautifully ripe and clean.
Winemaking
All the individual vineyards that contribute to the Stella Bella Chardonnay were vinified
separately. Most batches were hand‐picked at between 12.0 to 13.3° Be and cooled
overnight before whole bunch pressing to extract free run juice only. Fermentation occured
in a combination of new and older Burgundian oak, with a maximum of 20% new oak in each
batch. Fermentation temperature was controlled between 25°C to 26°C and the lees were
stirred regularly from the end of fermentation and throughout the malo‐lactic fermentation.
After 12 months in barrel the wine was blended to tank and held for 6 months prior to fining,
filtration and bottling.
Appearance
Pale straw with lime hues.
Food Pairing
Wood fired spatchcock with a zucchini, fennel and Ligurian olive salad.
