Winemaker
Frieda Henskens
Grape/s
70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir
GI
Tasmania
Sites
Multi-regional blend across Derwent Valley, Tasman Peninsula and Piper’s River
Vintage notes: A wet winter broke a 10+ year drought. The seemingly never-ending summer gave way to a long warm autumn which saw high yields of perfect fruit, with ripe flavours and aromas developing earlier than usual giving a powerful wine at 12.9% alcohol.
Vineyard notes
All family-owned and painstakingly tended by hand the three source vineyards differ dramatically. Meadow Bank in the Derwent Valley was established in 1974 and owned by the Ellis family since 1976. A brown sodosol of sandy loams over structured clays occur on the rolling slopes. Lower portions have a podosol of windblown sand - deep, loose sand over coffee rock – these are free-draining with low nutrient status. Brook Eden was planted to close-spaced vines in 1988 along a ridge of deep, free-draining basalt on small N and E facing hills in Pipers River. Norfolk Bay on the Tasman Peninsula was planted in the 1990’s.
Winemaking
All fruit was hand-picked. Each individual parcel was gently pressed as whole bunches. Juices then cold-settled and carefully racked prior to fermentation in stainless steel. One of the two chardonnay parcels (Meadowbank) was aged in old, small format barrels before undergoing partial malolactic fermentation. At disgorging, the liqueur d’expedition contained small additions of wild barrel-fermented, barrel aged chardonnay (2014 vintage) reserve wine and older tiraged material (2011 vintage).
Seven years on lees, disgorged 25 August 2017, 5.3 g/L dosage - 12.9% alcohol v/v, TA 7.35 g/L, pH 3.14
Closure: Natural cork (Les Fleurs, Portugal, designed for wines cellared 12+ years)
ABV: 12.9%
Tasting notes
An aperitif/ food friendly style with great intensity. Fine active bead and star-bright, yellow-golden colour. Vibrant lemon citrus, white florals, nougat, brioche, roasted nuts and lingering dry minerality.
Serve at 10-12℃ and savour with antipasto, char-grilled squid or Kingfish, grilled mushroom dishes and gamey, roast white meats or your favourite Tasmanian cheeses
Production size: 585 individually numbered bottles.
