Colour: Straw gold.
Aroma: Floral jasmine and citrus blossom layered with crème brûlée.
Palate: Juicy white peach and apricot Danish pastry notes are complemented by roasted almond nuances and a subtle hint of toast from judicious French oak. A creamy texture from bâtonnage leads into a refreshing, lingering acidity. A complex Chardonnay showing both power and finesse.
Harvest: The grapes were picked on 9 February.
Production: 318 dozen
Technical Data: Alc. 13.9% | pH 3.34 | TA 6.9 g/L
Review: “So much richness and flavour intensity evident immediately. Aromas of peaches and cream with white nectarine, stone peach and a little mineral lemony edge. The palate is beautifully textured with a racy acidity that cuts deep and long to sustain a very long finish. It’s just so enjoyable.” 95 Points | Cellar 10 Years | Ray Jordan
Vinification: Picked with a Selectiv machine harvester in the cool early hours of the morning, the grapes were tipped directly into a pneumatic press. The Selectiv system removes petioles, stems, jacks and other unwanted MOG (material other than grapes). The fruit was pressed gently at 600L/T, capturing only the ‘heart’ of the juice, with pressings discarded.
After three hours of settling, the juice was transferred to 50% new and 50% one- to three-year-old French oak barriques. Wild yeasts from the vineyard and winery were allowed to carry out fermentation, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 26°C. Weekly bâtonnage was undertaken for the first two months post ferment, followed by fortnightly stirring for the remainder of maturation. The wine spent a total of 10 months in oak before bottling, with no animal products or tannins used in the process.
Viticulture: The vineyard is managed naturally using organic and biological principles. Seaweed and fish emulsion foliar fertilisers are used alongside elemental sulphur and copper sprays for disease prevention. Nothing is wasted – grape marc is composted, mulched and combined with manures before being returned to the vineyard floor.
Cover crops of clover, peas and ryegrass are grown between the rows to provide nitrogen and organic mulch. Careful canopy management, including hedging and leaf plucking, helps control sunlight exposure and assists in delivering balanced, perfectly ripe fruit to the winery.
Vintage 2020 – 9/10: Following a wet winter, Margaret River experienced an early start to the season, with warmer-than-average spring temperatures leading into near-perfect summer growing conditions. Low disease pressure, timely Marri blossom to distract birds, and very little rainfall allowed growers to pick fruit at ideal ripeness. While yields across all varieties were lower than average – resulting in one of the smallest harvests in recent years – the quality of fruit was exceptional. The smaller crop delivered remarkable concentration, flavour intensity and physiological ripeness, making 2020 a truly special Margaret River vintage.
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