Balgownie Estate Black Label Chardonnay 2021

Balgownie Estate
Established by the now legendary winemaker Stuart Anderson in 1969, Balgownie Estate was the first vineyard planted in the Bendigo district in more than 80 years. The emergence of Balgownie Estate as a serious red wine producer in the 1970's led to the rapid expansion of the central goldfields wine growing region and was a significant player in the rebirth of the Victorian wine industry.

Balgownie Estate is one of Australia's great small vineyards famed for its long lived Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Established in 1969 by the highly regarded winemaker Stuart Anderson, the vineyard and winery are located at Maiden Gully near the historic gold mining town of Bendigo, just 150km northwest of Victoria's capital city Melbourne.

The Wine
Balgownie Estate's Yarra Valley vineyards were planted in 2003 to Chardonnayand Pinot Noir, the two varieties believed best suited to the region. The Yarra Valley's cool climate is ideal for these Burgundian varieties, producing grapes with intensity and balance. "Balgownie Estate is most famous for its Bendigo reds, but its expansion into the Yarra Valley has been very successful. Excellent place to visit too.” THE BIG RED WINE BOOK 2009-10.

FRUIT & WINEMAKING
A warm dry year produced moderate crops of small well ripened bunches. This Chardonnay fruit was hand harvested at optimum ripeness in cool conditions. It was stirred regularly on lees to increase complexity and mouth feel, and aged in French oak (25% new) for 10 months prior to bottling.

CHARACTERISTICS
The bouquet has peach and melon fruit complimented by subtle toasty oak. It has a lovely balanced palate of peach and citrus, subtly complex nuttiness, with a long fine acid finish.