2020 Reserve Chardonnay

Colour:Pale Straw

Nose:Pristine fruit aromas of fresh pears, white fleshed nectarines, and lemon/ lime characters with underlying hints of white flowers and wet stone adding to the wonderful purity of fruit.

Palate:The palate is medium bodied and tightly coiled offering pear puree, white fleshed stone fruits and zesty grapefruit character. The fruit purity is complimented with subtle talcy, textural elements and a quartz-like minerality adding to the structure. The underlying fruit power, and the bracing natural acidity reflect the season, providing drive to the wine and focusing it perfectly to a crisp lingering finish.

Varietal:Chardonnay

Vintage:2020

Region:Margaret River

Conditions:Average winter rainfall followed by a warm/dry Spring set up an early start to the growing season. Fruit set was variable, resulting in lower yields across most varieties. The warm Summer daytime temperatures combined with low yields saw harvest begin very early, at the end of January (one of our earliest ever) and all whites were harvested before the end of February. An incredible display of Marri blossom meant bird pressure was practically non-existent in the first half of vintage, and a short rain event after the white harvest offered some respite setting up the reds perfectly. Warm conditions continued throughout March, with all of the reds being harvested by the first week of April, our earliest ever harvest completion. In summary, 2020 will be remembered as an excellent vintage in Margaret River. 100% of the fruit for this Reserve Chardonnay is from our oldest Chardonnay vineyard, the Lagan Estate. The low yielding vineyard produces bunches with characteristic ‘hen and chicken’ architecture typical of the Gingin clone. We encourage natural fermentation on fruit from this vineyard to further emphasize the personality of this wonderful site which is directly adjacent to the winery.

Alcohol:13%

Bottle Size:750ml

pH:3.00

Winemaking Notes:All of the fruit was hand-picked and whole bunch pressed followed by 100% barrel fermentation in select French oak (approx. 20% new oak). Fermentation was allowed to occur naturally, with the wild yeasts responsible for the fermentation introducing more complexity and personality into the wine. Barrels were lees stirred throughout a nine-month oak maturation period, without any malolactic fermentation. Only the best barrels were selected for the final blend which was put together in November 2020.