Jaraman
Chardonnay 2017
An unusual fusion of Clare Valley & Margaret River resulting in an intensely flavoured, complex yet elegant wine with distinct citrus, white peach & nectarine characters along with a subtle flinty note.
| Previous Vintages | 2015, 2016 |
|---|---|
| Region | Clare Valley 68% / Margaret River 32% |
| Colour | At release the wine is a very pale straw colour with a youthful green hue. |
| Nose | The wine has intense lifted aromas of melon and lime with hints of stone fruits. There are underlying tropical notes of green pineapple and guava and subtle secondary characters of flint, cedar and spice. |
| Palate | The palate delivers what the bouquet promises; citrus fruits, fig and melon flavours along with a clean, mineral acidity and a touch of lemon zest. Texturally, it is delicate, with a creamy mid palate & integrated oak. The Clare Valley parcel delivers mid palate fleshiness whilst the Margaret River component contributes restrained green fruit notes that are typical of this region. Overall, the wine has a great palate line & length which lingers long after the wine is consumed. |
| Vintage Conditions | For the Clare Valley growing season leading up to vintage 2017, the year's rainfall was above average, it was the wettest recorded since 2000. Soil temperatures remained very low due to the waterlogged conditions & the below average ambient temperatures recorded through the spring resulted in budburst occurring a month later than in recent years. Weather conditions during flowering were favourable & hence fruit set was good across all varieties. Harvest began in late February and picking continued at a slow and steady rate until early May due to the prevailing mild conditions. Overall, our winemakers declared the vintage to be above average in terms of quantity & fruit quality. In Margaret River, vintage started 2-3 weeks later than the preceding couple of years. This was due to the mild, cool spring weather in the southern part of the state. Cool ripening conditions helps maintain the fresh, bright aromas of varieties like Chardonnay & those from the 2017 vintage are quite stunning in their liveliness and flavour. Autumn was simply perfect; cool crisp mornings & evenings but beautiful warm & sunny days; not too hot, textbook conditions for what may well prove to be a classic Margaret River year, with elegance rather than robustness, flavour rather than force. |
| Oak Maturation | After fermentation in barrel and battonage, otherwise known as yeast lees stirring, the wine was matured for 8 months in French oak barrels (60% new, 20% 2 year old and 20% 3year old) the wine was blended and then bottled. |
| Cellaring Notes | Crafted for immediate enjoyment but will cellar over a medium term under ideal conditions. |