Giant Steps Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay 2023

Location: Tarrawarra Planted: 1988 Elevation: 100 metres Soil Type: Grey clay loam Aspect: North, south and east facing slopes Size: 8.5 Hectares Located in a protected valley, Tarraford Vineyard has a discreet microclimate that is cooler than neighbouring sites. Although located in a warmer subregion of the Yarra Valley, the Chardonnay at Tarraford is planted on the cooler slopes. One block, with P58, 548 and 96 clones planted on a southerly facing and tucked into the central vale of the vineyard. The other faces directly east, with lovely eastern morning aspect, which we picked last. This vineyard produces Chardonnay with lovely pithy fruit characters, savoury saline notes and a soft and textured mid palate, finished with line and length driven by natural acidity.

2023 was a small, high-quality vintage in the Yarra Valley. The season was defined by a cool Spring, a mild growing season, cool nights, and medium to high rainfall. 2023 was one of the coolest and latest harvests on record, with our first pick starting two and a half weeks later than the previous average. The grapes in 2023 had lovely fruit concentration with bright natural acidities.