Tasting Notes
winemakers note
"This wine is a reflection of two coastal vineyards in Tasmania, both of which have significant deposits of fossilised sea shells throughout the soil profile. It truly captures the coastal elements of the fruit, with lifted minerality and a lovely saline/salt spray influence."
Chief Winemaker, Liam McElhinney
colour
Pale straw.
aroma
Beguiling nose of fresh sea spray and flint, framed by zesty grapefruit pith and minerality.
palate
A seductive oyster shell and satiating citrus core is framed by subtle oak spice and almond meal. A wine with intensity and purity.
cellaring
Will reward careful cellaring for three to ten years.
Technical
vintage
Constant spring winds during budburst caused low vine yields. The region experienced cooler than average temperatures over the growing season causing a longer ripening period with delayed harvest dates. The driest vintage to date producing extremely high-quality fruit.
winemaking
Our very best Chardonnay was sourced from vineyards across the Coal Valley (45%), Tasman Peninsula (25%), East Coast (25%) and Tamar Valley (5%) in Tasmania.
Fruit was hand-picked and chilled overnight before being whole bunch pressed into seasoned French oak (300L + 500L). The juice was allowed to go through wild fermentation with the inclusion of some solids. Following primary fermentation we added sulphur to half of the wine, with the remaining 50% stirred without sulphur for 3 months. The wine matured in oak for 9 months prior to blending and bottling. A small portion of the blend completed MLF naturally.
region
Tasmania
variety
Chardonnay
analysis
- Alcohol: 13.0%
- pH: 3.20
- Acidity (TA): 6.90 g/L
Food Pairings
Pan-seared wild Tasmanian Salmon with a lemon butter sauce.
Awards
Royal Hobart Wine Show 2023
Reviews
Halliday Wine Companion 2024
Pale straw in the glass with aromas of white peach, nectarine and grapefruit with a nice match/sulphide nuance and hints of soft spice, oatmeal, white flowers, nougat, lemon curd and clotted cream. There is impressive detail, clarity and composition here with a long, wonderfully expressive pure flow across the palate on rails of mineral and stone. A picture of tension and release. Beautiful drinking.
97
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front 2023
Peach, pear, grapefruit and lime, brine, struck match, almond meal, aniseed and spice. It’s a juicy number, cinnamon oatmeal, lime pie, chalky and flinty, some Parmesan rind umami quality, electric acidity through a creamy frame, with a long finish that’s all chalk dust and lime rind. So distinctive and individual. A great glass of Chardonnay here.
96
Huon Hooke, The Real Review 2024
Bright medium-light yellow colour with a first nose of honey followed by grapefruit and lemon, lightly toasted nuts and spiciness which all lingers through a very long aftertaste. A very satisfying wine. A subtle trace of smoky reduction, but the fruit dominates. Really good concentration, intensity and persistence. Delicious chardonnay, and it's ageing gracefully and slowly.
96
Tyson Stelzer, Wine Business Magazine 2024
Tasmanian Chardonnay of distinction and grandeur thanks to the advantage of agility in both sourcing and production techniques, drawing on the best regions across the state and the best of winemaking dexterity. The result delivers complexity and concentration yet succeeds in delivering the tricky balance of combining this with understated restraint, structural tension and enduring promise.
95
