2023 Chardonnay "Yarra Valley"

This is the coming together of two famed vineyards on opposite ends of the Yarra Valley. Two thirds was made from handpicked fruit from the cool LoneStar Creek vineyard in the Upper Yarra and the balance is from the old vines at Rising Vineyard in St Andrews. 

The majority of the fruit was hand harvested when the berries were changing from green to gold (in the citrus to stone fruit flavour spectrum) and whole bunch pressed before the cloudy juice was put to mostly 500L French barrels for wild fermentations. About 20% of the wine was fermented in new French oak whilst a portion of the wine was fermented in stainless steel, maximising the freshness and drive.

There was no malolactic fermentation with this wine to keep the tight acid line supporting the fruit weight. The wine was kept on lees and was bottled with only a course filtration after 10 months in barrel.

Full flavoured yet light on its feet. This is delicious modern Yarra Chardonnay.

Chardonnay clones: Bernard 76 and Bernard 95