2010 Chardonnay
Winemakers - 2010 Chardonnay
Blend:
100% Chardonnay
Region:
Willow Bridge Estate, Geographe, WA
Bottled:
February 2011
Release Date:
October 2011
Technical Data:
- Alcohol 12.5%vol
- Total Acidity 6.6gm/lt
- pH 3.22
- Residual Sugar 0.8gm/lt (dry)
Winemaker:
Simon Burnell and Jane Dunkley
Winemakers Notes:
~ Style ~
Pure and refreshing - white-fleshed stonefruits with a twist of zesty citrus.
~ Background ~
Chardonnay hails from north-eastern France where it is made into a number of styles ranging from the delicate fizz of Champagne and tautness of Chablis to complex fuller bodied whites in Burgundy. This, our first release of this wine, has been made in the style and using the traditional techniques of the latter, yet with an expression of fruit unique to this site. Hand picked bunches were pressed whole, with the unclarified juice filled to Burgundian coopered French oak barrels (one third of which were new) with no additions. The natural yeast from the vineyard (and perhaps winery) kicked in a few days later and fermented the wine to dryness over the next few weeks. The wine then stayed on lees for ten months with regular stirring and some barrels underwent a natural malolactic fermentation. The best barrels were selected, blended and prepared for bottling in January 2011.
~Facts and Figures ~
The season: 2010 was another excellent season.....A typically wet and windy winter and early spring came to a screeching halt as the vines started to hit their straps in October. The main growing season through to the end of April was consistently a degree or so warmer and 20% drier than the 30 year average, with less than 100mm of rain falling over those six months. A lack of significant extremes allowed us to avoid any vine-stress and harvest each variety in optimal condition.
Vineyards : Estate grown in the Ferguson Valley on our 'Henty' Chardonnay block planted to the Gin Gin (or Mendoza) clone in 1998. The Henty Chardonnay block has a gentle North-westerly aspect and sits protected in a natural amphitheatre at an elevation of 230m above sea level. All of our estate vineyards are on their own roots in classic WA "Marri soil" (a deep layer of ironstone gravelly loam over red and yellow friable clay) and the vines are typically spur-pruned and vertically trellised.
~Tasting Notes ~
Appearance: Pale straw with hints of green.
Nose: Aromas start out with delicate honeysuckle, nougat, sea-spray and a background hint of nutty, smoky oak. As it breathes the fruit comes to the fore - firstly peach fuzz and nectarine and later citrus fruits, particularly lime, really take over.
Palate: Tight, fine and citrussy, with a creamy mid palate and soft almond meal tannins interacting with cooling acidity on the finish.
Cellaring: Well it is our first, but its fruit quality suggests it should do well under its screwcap -to 2015 and hopefully longer.
Food pairing: Lobster halves with lemon butter and dandelion leaf salad.
