Geographe, Western Australia. Style: Youthful, pretty, fruit driven and refreshing, yet distinctly 'Chardonnay'.
Background: Chardonnay hails from north eastern France where it is made into a number of styles ranging from full bodied whites in Burgundy through mostly unoaked racy whites of Chablis to the fine fizz of Champagne. This Dragonfly Chardonnay is designed to capture the essence of this noble variety when grown in suitable sites and without showing excessive influence from oak or the winemaker. Approximately half of the wine was pressed directly to and naturally fermented in second fill Burgundian coopered French oak barrels. The rest saw no oak at all, being cool fermented to dryness in stainless steel tanks. After settling for three months on yeast lees, the blend was assembled and bottled without further ado. Crisp and refreshing in style, it aims to highlight the classic white fleshed stonefruit, almond blossom and citrussy characters of the variety, without the heaviness imparted by new oak, malolactic fermentation and other winemaking techniques, nor the accompanying need for time to reach a drinkable maturity.
Vineyards:
Estate grown in the Ferguson Valley on our 'Henty' and 'Cotterill' Chardonnay blocks, both planted at 1250 vines/Ha to the Gin Gin (Mendoza) chardonnay clone in 1998, and both on classic WA "Marri soil" (a deep layer of ironstone gravelly loam over red and yellow friable clay) with slight westerly aspects at elevations of 220 to 250m above sea level. Vines are spur pruned and vertically trellised (VSP).
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Tasting Notes
Appearance: Pale straw with lime edges.
Nose: White flowers dominate at this young stage, with some musk and plenty of classic citrus and stonefruit there also. Hints of spice and seaspray lurk in the background.
Palate: Medium bodied, with a fine oatmeal texture. White fleshed stone fruits with light fresh cream are followed by hints of ginger and spice with a twist of citrus acidity on the finish.
Cellaring: It is made to be enjoyed whilst young and fresh, yet will reward a few years in the cellar for those who appreciate the characters which come with maturity.
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