Description

Vintage

The Chardonnay grapes for this dry white were harvested at 12.5° and 12.9° Baumé on the 18th February and 19th March 2015 in Mudgee and Orange, New South Wales.

The Chardonnay vineyards were 44 and 17 years old respectively. The 2015 vintage was a joy in the NSW Central Ranges with fine weather throughout the growing season. Spring and summer were sunny and dry but with mild temperatures.

These conditions continued deep into autumn ensuring a high quality harvest. It was an early harvest with all grapes from both our Mudgee and Orange vineyards harvested by the end of March. These conditions produced richly flavoured grapes with good texture and varietal characters. One Vineyard is trained to Geneva Double Curtain Trellis type, with the other being Vertical Shoot Position (VSP).

Winemaking

After crushing and gentle pressing, the juice was clarified by floatation. The pressings were oxidatively handled as juice while the free run was treated anaerobically. The fermentations were carried out by wild yeasts and took place over 21 days in stainless steel tanks. The wine remained on yeast lees for 8 months with infrequent stirring. The wine was filtered before bottling.

Tasting Notes

The delightful 2014 Apple Tree Flat Chardonnay shows a white peach, grapefruit and nut aroma. The textured palate has flavours of pear, lemon and nectarine before a long clean finish.

Analysis: Alcohol 13.0%

Titratible acidity 5.2 g/L

pH 3.35

Residual sugar 1.9 g/L