Chardonnay

Craighall is the premium Chardonnay from the prized blocks of Mendoza cloned vines, most of which are now 30 years old. A bright stone fruit and citrus blossom bouquet and sleek, with driven mineralityforming the key cohesive and finely crafted 2012 vintage.

The has elegance, balance, minerality, tension and drive. On the nose, ripe stone-fruit meets white-flower perfume, these primary characters leading effortlessly into more savoury, melded, brioche-like fermentation characters on the palate.

The Beechworth ‘terroir’ has a distinctive fruit character of pear/peach fruit.

The oak has minimal impact by using older French oak and mainly puncheons.

The warm year has meant less citrus lift but has bran meal notes from the wild ferment and extended lees contact.

The palate is quite rich with zesty acid line through to the finish.

The 29th vintage of Dalwhinnie Moonambel Chardonnay and what a wine!  The colour has light straw hues and a shiny clear surface.  On the nose there is an amazing ripe pear character intertwined with spice and vanilla coming from the Vosges Burgundy oak.  The palate is telling a beautiful story of the warmer season giving texture and mouth-feel to a fuller and richer style compared to what we have  produced in the past. Ripe pear and peach fruit dominate with an intriguing barley sugar finish.  A beautifully well-balanced wine.

The 2001 has all the hallmarks of another fine Giaconda Chardonnay. Year in year out the consistency of this wine continues to amaze me. Once again the craftsmanship of Rick Kinzbrunner is clearly evident. It looks and smells like a wine of depth and complexity: straw gold with flashes of green; on the bouquet grilled nuts, the customary 'dirt', stone fruit, wheat and spicy notes from the oak herald a wine of breeding.

The distinctive label, featuring an original painting of the vineyard by Wyndham Hill-Smith O.B.E., combines the tradition at the heart of the Hill-Smith family with the contemporary styling befitting a modern Australian classic. 

Tasting notes:
Pale gold in colour. Lifted aromas of white peach, lemon zest and roasted hazelnuts with complex notes of struck flint from wild yeast fermentation and extended time on lees.

This wine is elegantly structured with a refined mineral restraint driving the length of the palate; a hallmark of Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. The focussed structure belies its fine creamy texture and lingering flavours of fresh stone fruit, green mango and grapefruit zest. With time in bottle the palate will develop further complexity and creamy texture.

Oak Treatment:
Fermented & matured for 12 months in new French barriques (10%), 1 year old French barriques (33%), balance in 2-3 year old French barriques.

Food match:

Serve with lemon and thyme chicken accompanied by roasted Dutch cream potatoes.

A pure, elegant and vibrant style of Chardonnay, embracing the region's powerful fruit with complexity and restraint to express the environment, with the hallmarks of Vasse Felix's premier vineyards.

Tasting notes

Appearance, Brilliant straw green

Nose

Elevated honeysuckle, grapefruit and kaffir lime aromas mingle with a fresh sea-breezy quality to this nose that hints at a sense of place by the ocean. Lower tone signature Chardonnay notes of nougat, grilled nuts and shortbread biscuit bring depth and richness to an alluring bouquet.

Palate

The mouth bursts with regional purity and a quartzy acidity that compliments the coiled citrus power and textural finesse of the wine. Judicious use of fine French oak lends hazelnut and wafer flavours plus extra length, assuring excellent ageing potential.

Winemaker comments

The fruit was hand-harvested, chilled, gently whole-bunch pressed and transferred to French oak barriques as unclarified juice for fermentation with only natural yeasts from the vineyard. Each parcel was left on lees in barrel for 9 months of maturation with battonage.