BEHIND THE NAME
During summer, native Bearded Dragon lizards find their way into grapes destined for the winery. Luckily for the lizards, the gentleness of our crusher allows them to pass through the ordeal slightly shaken, but unharmed.
WINEMAKING
Small batches of grapes are gently crushed before being pressed in specially designed stainless steel basket presses. Gentle extraction of the juice is critical in these stages to retain the delicate Chardonnay characters. Fermentation took place in old French oak barriques for around 6 months, with no malolactic fermentation. 40% of the final blend underwent wild fermentation in barrel. The barrel ferments are aged on lees, some of which is added to increase the mouthfeel, and add a bit of minerality which helps the wine age gracefully. There is no racking until final blending.
TASTING NOTE
Initially this wine appears quite tight in the glass. This is a result of sensitive and protective winemaking aimed at producing a Chardonnay of great longevity. As the wine breathes and warms up all of that tension releases and we are left with a Chardonnay of great fruit expression and generous mouthfeel. Delivering a bouquet of stonefruit, Granny Smith and green pineapple accompanied by an almost saline like quality. The palate as mentioned starts tightly wound but slowly releases exposing layers of sweet and savoury fruits that emerge to support the well etched acidity. We start to see the sunshine in the glass, lemon curd, peach, white flowers, lightly roasted nuts and spice. Oak influence is minimal, perhaps a lick of vanilla and a whiff of brioche, but more evident through the added texture that ageing in fine old French oak brings. The entire palate is enhanced by a grapefruit like mix of acid and tannin that draws the wine out to a long, lingering finish. Due to its fruit focus this is a wine that shows incredible food pairing versatility from delicate seafood through to more robustly flavoured white meat dishes.
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