Chardonnay 2024

Tasting Notes:

Aromas: Lemon zest, white peach and subtle toasted almond with hints of vanilla oak

Palate: Layered and textural with citrus and stone fruit supported by fine oak integration

Structure: Balanced acidity with a creamy mid-palate

Finish: Long, clean and refined with lingering citrus and oak complexity

Wine Style: Elegant, textural Margaret River Chardonnay

A refined estate Chardonnay showing citrus purity, subtle oak and a layered, textural finish.

Food Pairing

· Mushroom risotto

· Roast chicken

· Grilled local fish

Winemaking

Harvested on the 19/01 and whole bunch pressed directly to barrel into a mix of new and older 500L French Oak puncheons. 41% New. Natural yeast fermentation and aged on lees for 8 months with periodic stirring prior to pulling out of barrel and filtering ready for bottling.

Fruit Processing: Whole bunch pressed directly to the barrel.

Fermentation:

· Yeast: Natural (wild ferment)

· Vessel: French oak puncheons (500L)

Maturation:

· Oak: 41% new French oak, balance older oak

· Time in barrel: 8 months

· Lees work: Periodic stirring to build texture

Bottling Date: Late 2024

Cellaring

Now to 8 years Ageing Potential: Will develop further complexity and texture with bottle age

Viticulture

Season Summary: A warm and compressed Margaret River vintage with an earlier harvest window. Conditions allowed for excellent flavour development while retaining natural acidity, producing balanced and expressive fruit.

Vine Age: Estate vines (approx. 1985 plantings) Vine Management: Estate-grown fruit, carefully managed for quality and balance

Harvest Details:

· Harvest Date: 19 January

· Picking Method: Hand-picked

· Yield: Moderate

Fruit Quality Notes: Clean, ripe fruit with strong citrus and stone fruit expression and balanced natural acidity.

Vintage

Vintage 2024 was early and very fast paced. The growing season saw above-average temperatures and almost no rainfall, which led to an early budburst and perfect growing conditions with no disease pressure in the vineyard. This led to an early berry set and veraison in all varieties. The region was also blessed with one of the most spectacular and abundant Marri flowering seasons, which kept the birds away from the vineyards. Precision in harvest timing was crucial, as optimal ripeness came and went very quickly due to the hot, fast-ripening season. Whites were picked over a two-week period instead of the typical four weeks. Red varieties required careful consideration to ensure physiological maturity with fruit expression vibrancy.