Wine Note A full bodied wine with a sweet ripe citrus fruit palate, balanced acidity and a lingering complex finish. The bouquet displays intense delicate cedar and biscuity components from aging on lees in French barriques. The wine was matured in 88% new and 12% 1 year old French oak for 11 months with weekly lees stirring. The palate has a sumptuous youthful appeal with natural acidity giving balance to the ripe fruit intensity. The oak adds subtle spice, almond and vanilla hints with malolactic and wild fermentation giving complexity and an elegant texture. Fruit 100% Chardonnay Alcohol Content 14.0% Harvest One of the best growing seasons in many years for Chardonnay. The weather was slightly cooler than normal, which enabled the grapes to have a long and slow ripening period. The grapes achieved maximum sugar and flavour levels. Vinification Individual blocks and clones were hand selected and picked, then whole bunch pressed. Some of the juice was run directly from the press to barrels and was left to go through a wild fermentation. This wild ferment component was 59% of the final blend. The rest of the juice was lightly settled and then racked to tank for fermentation. Fermentation was initiated in tank and then the fermenting must was transferred to new French oak barrels. The blend received 65% malo-lactic fermentation and was left on gross lees in barrels with weekly stirring for 11 months. Prior to bottling the wine was lightly fined stabilized and filtered. Barrel Percentage New French Oak Barriques 88% Blend Composition Gimblett Road Vineyard 88% Bottling The wine was bottled on the 31-03-03. Sensory Colour: Medium straw in colour with a golden tint and brilliant clarity. Cellaring 3-5 years. |
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