Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Tasting Note: Bright lemon straw colour. The aroma shows a depth of vibrant, uplifted fruit flavour. Citrus flavours of pink grapefruit and blood orange along with ripe honey dew melon, quince and nectarine. There are also hints of nougat and marzipan. The palate is smooth and rounded with a gentle acidity. The oak is barely noticeable on the palate, but for the silky texture and butterscotch length it imparts. A very well balanced and softly textured wine.
Vintage: The strong winds and storms that usually hammer Margaret River during spring were not as intense during the lead up to the 2010 vintage, which was a relief to the sensitive flowering and fruit set of Chardonnay and resulted in above average yields. A typically dry summer followed, once again providing for clean precise fruit flavours.
Winemaking Note: The fruit for this wine comes entirely from the Clairault property, 70% from our U block, which is a site at the southern boundary of our property, and 30% from L block, just to the north of the winery. The fruit is picked in the early morning and pressed straight away at cool temperatures to retain freshness and vibrancy. Thirty five per cent is barrel fermented in French oak Barriques of which a third are new. A mixture of wild and cultures yeasts are used. The wine stays on yeast lees in barrel for 10 months and is stirred and topped fortnightly.
Winemaking Analysis:
Sugar Level at Picking: 11.8 to 12.8 Baume
Wine pH: 3.29
Wine Titratable Acidity: 6.5 g/L
Residual Sugar: 0.91 g/L
Alcohol: 13.5%
Winemaker: Will Shields
