Family Chardonnay 2022

Chardonnay is compelling when it has energy, giving you an impressionists’ experience of natural light. It is an elusive quality that great wines share despite the versatility of the variety. It is more of a winemakers’ wine where observation pays off, and though it is easy to make, in contrast it is surprisingly easy to muddy the message from the vineyard.
The Family Vineyards Chardonnay is comprised of three vineyard sites from the farm, widely varied in their exposure to the sun. The vibrancy, clear cut structure and long flavour we perceive from these granitic slopes is our safeguarded jewel. This well-drained, gravelly soil of mostly quartz, pink feldspar and mica on the lower part of the slope reaches down to deposits of clay. Clay adsorbs water and high concentrations of trace elements for the increasingly complex activity of soil microorganisms, which all contributes to the building blocks of the wine’s crystalline flavour profile. Our south facing Chardonnay vineyards produce edgy and agile wines with nervy acidity, while the north facing slopes are more lustrous wines, delivering weight without being heavy, layering the structure. A natural approach in the winemaking will ensure a complex array of characters in this wine.

TASTING NOTES:
Lucid ripe citrus and white peach are inured with ornate spices and lime zest. The fleshiness of the wine is counter balanced with mineral tones and gunflint. The brittle crunch in the structure hems in the lush texture, with an elongated thread of acidity resonating in the finish.

Maturation & Bottling
Matured for 11 months in barrique (228L) and puncheon (500L) barrels produced in Burgundy and custom made for these vineyards. The format size of barrel varies from vineyard to vineyard, depending on vine age and the power of expression of each site. Tighter grained oak is preferred for subtle flavour, with longer seasoning and slower, lower temperature toasting. New oak comprises 22%. The wine is racked to stainless steel for another 5 months of élevage. No fining, coarse filtration and sulphur adjustment before bottling.

BEST DRINKING Now – 10 years