This wine has bright aromas of lemon curd and peach with subtle mealy and struck match characters. The palate displays a modern styled chardonnay of citrus zest and stone fruit with the use of new oak providing a subtle spice character. The wine is bright and mouth filling with a long lingering finish. The delicacy and acid profile of this year’s chardonnay augur well for its cellaring potential.
Chardonnay is very well suited to the cool climate environment of the Great Southern wine region. Chardonnay from the vineyard sites in this part of Western Australia tend to ripen slowly, developing complex flavours while also retaining an elegant natural acidity which provides for a lovely balance between richness and vibrancy.
The 2023 season brought about a warm spring which resulted in a good start to the ripening season. Even temperature days and cool nights helped to retain the natural acidity in the fruit while full flavours developed.
The 2023 chardonnay fruit was harvested in three parcels on 16th, 22nd and 23rd March 2023. In each instance the fruit was chilled overnight and then fermented in approximately 28% new and 72% one year old Burgundian oak barriques. The chardonnay barrels were lees stirred weekly for four months and then left to settle in barrel for a further four months before being prepared for bottling.