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Aroma:
Fresh, fine, complex and understated with subtle cream, nuts and peach overtones.

Palate:
Crisp and tight with a supple mid palate with drying savoury faint textural edge at the finish. Fresh and delicate with a generous mid palate. Lovey fine acid finish

Assessment:
A wine of finesse and lovely depth of flavour. Although tight and restrained in its youth it will slowly build in complexity and richness. The emphasis is on primary, fruit derived flavours. Stelvin will ensure the wine remains fresh and lively for many years.

Ageing:
Freshness, concentration, delicacy and balance with crisp acidity are the keys for ageable wines. This wine has all of these elements. Previous vintages have shown how our Chardonnay retains its freshness and vibrant fruit for a decade or more. I am confident our 2023 will be no exception.

Crop level:
0.9 kg per vine

Oak maturation:
12 months in French oak barriques. All from forests in the centre of France and Vosges. 44% new oak and balance second use.

Malolactic 100% malolactic fermentation.

Analysis:
Alcohol 13.6% by Volume

pH:
3.13

TA (g/L):
7.8g/l

Closure:
Screwcap.

Serving suggestion:
Best drunk cool between 5 and 10°C.

Food suggestion:
Rich seafood like Barramundi is excellent, but will accompany many foods.

Cellaring:
Freshness, concentration, delicacy and balance with crisp acidity are the keys for ageable wines. This wine has all of these elements. Previous vintages have shown how our Chardonnay retains its freshness and vibrant fruit for a decade or more. I am confident our 2023 will be no exception.

Winemaking:
Grapes were picked into crates and pre-chilled fruit to below 5 deg C for whole bunch pressing. Juice was settled and racked to barrels with light solids for fermentation. All barrels were left on lees for 12 months and 2 barrels innoculated for malolactic ferment.

Vintage:
Crop levels of 0.9kg/vine were similar to 2021 and 22. This is well below our long term average. Our old vines don’t yield much but the compensation is flavour which they have in abundance. Another benefit is early ripening and full flavour development . Hand picking occurred in cold but dry weather on the 13th of April which is 2 weeks later than our long term average pick date. Heat degree day summation for the year was 1244 near our long term average of 1270 Heat Degree Days (HDD). Temperatures over summer and post veraison (3rd Feb) were cooler than average. Post veraison is the crucial period for flavour development and acid retention. Our vines are now 39 years old and show the benefits of maturity with modest vigour, low crops and an extensive root system and are able to sail through hot weather with no negative effect. The growing season was wet with 353mm of rain Oct to March above our long term average of 229 mm. Mercifully there was there was little rain near harvest.