St. Andrews
Chardonnay 2015
Silky textured with exceptional length and flavours of peach, nectarine and subtle cashew nuances from quality French oak.
| Previous Vintages | 2013, 2014 |
|---|---|
| Region | Clare Valley |
| Colour | At release, the wine is a youthful pale straw colour with vibrant green hue to the edges |
| Nose | The wine has ripe stone fruit aromas along with hints of tropical fruit and subtle citrus zest. Enticing sweet spice and savoury cashew nut from the French oak add complexity to the bouquet. |
| Vintage Conditions | In the Clare Valley, the growing season in the lead up to vintage 2015 saw slightly higher than average amounts of rainfall initially and then very little fell, making it the driest ever August recorded at the estate. These conditions were conducive to frost and there were 14 events recorded. The first evidence of budburst appeared in the last week of August which is relatively normal. Rainfall for spring was well below average, with further frost events recorded during this time. Not only was the spring weather extremely dry, it was also warm and windy. These conditions led to higher evapotranspiration (water loss), and despite our significant irrigation effort during October and November, still had a detrimental impact on flowering with resultant bunch numbers down on average. December and January were relatively mild, with rain falling during the second week of January. The moisture was a welcome relief after such a dry spring and the white varieties on the estate responding well for both yield and quality. |
| Oak Maturation | The oak regime employed for this wine is 80% new & 20% 1 year old French oak (tight-grained which is air seasoned for 3 years), sourced from Louis Latour, a specialist Burgundian supplier. After 10 months of oak maturation, then minimal fining and filtration, the wine was bottled. |
| Cellaring Notes | Crafted for immediate enjoyment but will cellar over a medium term under ideal conditions. |