| 2017 Chardonnay | |
 | Size: 750ml Tasting NotesA savoury nose with hints of wood smoke combined with nectarines and lime. Round and full mouthfeel. Apple, pear and vanilla on the palate with a hint of cream. Ratings91 - Halliday Food MatchingThe textural interest of this wine would pair beautifully with an Indian, cardamom and yoghurt lamb braise, or with a chicken and preserved lemon tagine and cous cous. Mushroom risotto, or, (as ever with our Chardonnays) a good spaghetti carbonara would work well. ViticultureVintage 2017 had the wettest Spring we have ever experienced. 500mm of rain in the months of June, July and August were followed by a record 255mm in September - the month we would usually see things starting to dry out. Our vines burst and as things warmed up the incessant rain led to several Downy Mildew primary events which meant we needed to spray. The ground was far too wet for a tractor so we put our first two sprays on using a helicopter (which took about 15 minutes compared to my seven odd hours in the tractor!) The growing season continued to be wetter than usual and disease pressure was high. Thankfully February and March saw much drier and warmer weather which helped ripen our fruit and kill off any remaining oil spots. We finally harvested, far later than usual, on the 1st of April. WinemakingThe fruit was destemmed and lightly crushed before being pressed, with about 1/3 going into a new French oak barrel and the balance into tank. The barrel portion was matured on lees for about 6 months with regular lees stirring. This portion was allowed to undergo Malolactic fermentation (MLF). The remainder was kept in tank and did not undergo MLF. Post maturation the wines were blended, fined, filtered and bottled. Winemakers: Nick Foskett, Simon Parker (Vinify) Wine AnalysisTA: 1g/L |