Nose
An expressive and complex nose with a perfect balance of fresh fruit and savoury complexity.
Aromas of freshly crushed lime, nectarine, peach fuzz, and candle wax lift out of the glass.
Balanced by subtle roasted hazelnut and flinty aromas from barrel fermentation in the finest
quality French oak.
Palate
The delicious and intense fruit combination continues on the palate, with our signature
spring water, mineral acidity. This creates focused length, with phenolic drive. Not too heavy,
nor too light, the textural finish has a lingering nuttiness and complexity that will have you
wanting more…
Growing Conditions
As with every vintage some challenges arise from Mother Nature and in 2016 it was rainfall
early in the season that challenged our viticulturists and winemakers. With love and diligent
care our team walked the vineyards every two days to ensure only the highest quality fruit
was harvested. As the weather brightened we started picking early February and our white
varieties are looking exciting, with all of the varietal characteristics & style we expect from
our Southern vineyards.
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° Be and cooled overnight
before whole bunch pressing to extract free run juice only. Fermentation occurred in a
combination of new and older Burgundian oak, with a maximum of 20% new oak in each
batch. Fermentation temperature was controlled between 20°C to 26°C and the lees were
stirred regularly from the end of fermentation. Malo-lactic fermentation occurred but was
not encouraged to keep the precise line and length of Stella Bella Chardonnay. After 11
months in barrel the wine was blended to tank and held for 2 months in tank prior to fining,
filtration and bottling.
Appearance
Bright pale straw.
Food Pairing
Char-Grilled Chicken with Prosciutto and Peaches (Gourmet Traveller)
