Nose
Elegant, fragrant notes of hazelnut, mealy wafer and brioche
intertwine with grapefruit, hints of fine lemon pith and honey dew
melon. Underlying tones of candlewax, champignon, ginger and
fennel also play a part in this complex perfume.
Palate
A satin light entrance builds to a long, tangy dry finish filled
with delicate characters reminiscent of peach custard brioche,
hazelnuts and candle wax, supported by fine lemon pith and anise.
Growing Conditions
A selection of the most unique and striking vineyard sections,
recognised for its innovative winemaking and distinguishing
‘Heytesbury’ character.2017 was a cooler and later vintage than the previous 10 years; a
year of elegant, perhaps slightly lighter bodied wines, though ripe in
flavour, vibrant and very perfumed. Higher than average yields in
combination with a cooler season contributed to delayed ripening of
the fruit and good acid retention. Some timely warmth and sunshine
occurred throughout January, although February temperatures
remained moderate with some rainfall. With the cooler weather,
canopy management and fruit thinning was imperative to mitigate
disease pressures and allow for even, persistent ripening. There was
a warm start to March to finish the white harvest, followed by the
driest April since 1982, finishing the reds beautifully.
Winemaking
Our most unique small vineyard sections where clone, aspect and
soil interplay in such a way to ignite stunning varietal and wild yeast
characters. A beautiful cool season saw Chardonnay picked three
weeks later than the last 10 years, with elegant fruit perfumes, ideal
sugar levels and high acidity. Malolactic fermentation was
encouraged, though it is not an obvious feature of the wine. Due to
the cool conditions, 52% of the fruit was Selective machine harvested
to extract additional fine flavours from the skins before pressing.
After settling for a short time, the cloudy juice was transferred
straight to barrel. The remaining balance was hand-harvested,
whole-bunch pressed and transferred direct to barrel as unclarified
juice. The wine was fermented with only natural yeasts from the
vineyard and remained in barrel for nine months with some
battonage. The fruit was 100% Gingin clone from Wilyabrup and
Wallcliffe. A very restrained vintage has produced a young wine
that will blossom with time in bottle.
Appearance
Bright, light golden straw.
