Winemakers Collection Nelson Barrique Fermented Chardonnay 2009 - Cellar Release

Wine Analysis

Vineyard: Seifried Rabbit Island Vineyard
Sugar at Harvest: 23.9°Brix
pH of Wine: 3.41
T.A of Wine: 6.9g/L

The Vineyard

The Rabbit Island vineyard is stony and silty with a very gravely sub surface. The ground is very free draining, friable and easy to work, giving a light and intensely varietal crop. The Mendoza clone of Chardonnay, with “hen and chicken” bunches is no exception.

The canopy was extensively leaf plucked during the summer while the grapes were developing, allowing light and air movement around the fruit zone and helping to develop the lovely citrus and passionfruit flavours.

Winemakers Note

The “hen and chicken” berries of the Mendoza clone of Chardonnay give full tropical flavours. The grapes for this Chardonnay were grown adjacent to the winery. The fruit was harvested and brought to the winery where it was immediately pressed and cooled for a 24 hour settling period. Following this the juice was racked and warmed before inoculation. Once the ferment was active it was gravity fed to one year old French and American barriques. The wine completed primary fermentation in oak before undergoing malolactic fermentation. During these fermentations the barrels were hand stirred every two weeks to build palate weight and structure. Following this the wine was left sitting on its yeast for a further 14 months before being racked from barrique and prepared for bottling in June 2010.

Tasting Note

Our Winemakers Collection Barrique Fermented Chardonnay is the “pick of the bunch” ....our winemaking team taste and analyse all our Chardonnay blocks, clones and individual barrels to literally piece together this opulent wine. The 2009 has radiant and ripe stonefruit lifting out of the glass. This is supported by elegant well integrated oak and barrel ferment characters. Butterscotch, hazelnut and fine spicy oak notes weave with orchard summer stonefruit notes on the palate to leave a lasting impression.