2016 | Pilot Block Chardonnay | 5 Star Winery | Chain of Ponds (12 Bottles) | Australian Wine Online

Pale straw with a green hues. The nose shows lifted floral and citrus notes with integrated peach, fig, nectarine and fresh green apple. The fruit is integrated with savoury spicy oak and a hint of vanilla. On the palate there is intense stone fruit characters of roasted peach, fresh nectarine with integrated fig and citrus notes. Savoury oak rounds out the palate with a slight textural edge balancing the creamy soft finish from the nine months of lees contact. Well structured with balanced acidity, generous richness and great persistence.

Fruit for this Chardonnay was sourced from two vineyards in  cooler pockets planted 30 years ago. The vines have maturity and balance which is reflected in the depth of flavours in the fruit. Both vineyards are early ripening vineyards producing grapes which are full in flavour with good floral and stone fruit notes with balanced acidity.

The grapes were machine harvested in the cool of early morning to retain freshness. The parcels of grapes were treated separately. The first undergoing complete juice clarification and fermented cool to retain fresh clean characters followed by storage in tank. The other parcel was fermented partially on solids to give complexity and weight on the palate. No malolactic fermentation was used. Post fermentation this wine was transferred to used French hogsheads for maturation. The wines were matured on lees for six months, which has added body and complexity to the wine, and were then blended together prior to bottling.

Alc 13.0%