Chardonnay

Single Variety

Clare Valley 55% / Margaret River 45%

At release the wine is a very pale straw colour with a youthful green hue.

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.

On the palate the wine delivers well-balanced and evenly distributed fruit flavours of classic melon and peach along with underlying creamy notes from the lees stirring. Texturally, it has a retrained, tight structure overall and yet still displays a measure of subtle creaminess to the mid palate and rewards with well integrated oak. The Clare Valley parcel delivers mid palate fleshiness whilst the Adelaide Hills component contributes the restraint and elegance that are typical of this region. Overall, the wine has a great palate line with length which lingers long after the wine is consumed.

The wine has had contact with premium French oak for a short time.

In the Clare Valley, the growing season saw average autumn and winter rainfalls on the Taylor family estate vineyards. Although spring was relatively dry, the vine vigour was still good due to the presence of subsurface moisture from the regular winter rain events and in addition the relatively calm conditions during the spring period reduced the evapotranspiration of the vines. Summer started dry and warm but not overly hot although from mid January to mid February this changed with very hot conditions prevailing until the 14th February when a downpour occurred, slowing the ripening of grapes considerably. Most of the Chardonnay was harvested prior to the rain and the quality of the fruit was outstanding. In Margaret River, excellent winter rainfall provided a great start to the growing season followed by a warm spring with very little rain. During the ripening period the nights were cool with mild days which allowed the white grapes to hold their natural acidity. The region then experienced one of the warmest vintages on record and certainly on par with the very warm 2011 vintage which meant that flavours developed earlier. As a result, the Chardonnay has a superb line of natural acidity balanced with intense flavour profiles ranging from citrus, nectarine to summer peach.

Crafted for immediate enjoyment but will cellar over a medium term under ideal conditions.

13.50%

6.68

3.20

0.90

Single: 750ml bottle, Case: 6 x 750ml bottle