2023 Wambuul Chardonnay

Wambuul Chardonnay is made with grapes from the Mt Panorama / Wahluu Vineyard (80%) harvest 16 March and Bella Luna (20%) harvested 21 March. Both farmed organically and with a preference to physical instead of mechanical vineyard operations. It was a great year for Chardonnay, once we surfaced for air after an intense, wet spring we were looking down the barrel of a very healthy crop and some impeccable quality fruit. We picked Mt Panorama / Wahluu in 2 lots, 1 a bit riper than the other. All of Bella Luna came off in one go. All of the Chardonnay was off the vine after a significant but isolated hot stretch in March which had us worried for a moment before it started bucketing rain again. The whites were picked long before many of the reds and even finished malo due to heavy mid season rain.

The fruit was whole bunch pressed to 3 barrels (1 new) and 1 puncheon- some with full solids and some with a light settling. Inoculated with our house starter which is made with Bela Luna Fruit picked 10 days prior to the first pick and started in the vineyard. Secondary ferment was judged on a parcel to parcel basis. The wine spent 10 months in barrel before being blended to tank for a further 5 months on fine lees. Stirring was also intermittent, and varied on a barrel by barrel basis.

The wine was bottled with a light filtration and no fining in September 24.

TECHNICAL DETAILS

Alcohol: 12.5

pH: 3.23

Bottles made: 1284

TASTING NOTES

Savoury aromas, mandarin peel, raw cashew, hot cross buns. Pink grapefruit, green pineapple and coconut husk, dried herb bitter edge keeping things in check. Good phenolic structure and carry, plenty of lees weight too. A wine of tension, ripe yet taught. Structured yet soft.