2022 Chardonnay
Tasting Notes
Vibrant pale straw in colour, with a nose of lemon oil, lavendar, wet rock minerality, and a sprikle of clove spice. The palate shows additional flavours of orange peel and BBQ’d lime. It is richly textured which speaks to the intensity of fruit in 2022, as well as having phenomenal acid drive and good structure.
Vintage
Vintage 2022 will long be remembered for its meagre quantity and exceptional quality. Poor Springtime conditions (wet and windy) over two years led to a small number of bunches and then quite poor fruit set which resulted in tiny bunches of grapes (not many tiny bunches = not much crop). The low crops however, ripened perfectly and harvest started on 2nd March.
Vineyard
A blend of four blocks from the Rising Vineyard in St Andrews – P58 clone from House block, I10V5 clone and Bernard 76 clone from Bibs block, Bernard 95 clone from Number 1 block and Bernard 95 clone from 95 block – confusing?... yes, it’s complicated! Age of vines varies from 13 to 39 years old.
Vinification
All parcels were whole bunch pressed to tank for an overnight settle before going to barrel with lots of solids for ferment and maturation. French oak is used exclusively, mainly 300L hogsheads of which 20% were new. The wine rested in barrel for nine months before blending and bottling in February 2023.
