The fruit for this wine was picked at an average 35 brix, and about 165 g/L residual sugar remained after fermentation had ceased. The botrytis infection of the grapes occurred quite late in the physiological ripening of the crop, and this has resulted in a wine with very varietal, ripe flavours and relatively subtle botrytis character. To provide further flavour complexity (which we feel is beneficial to this style), one third of the wine was barrel fermented separately and stirred on the lees for a further 6 months. The wine has a rich gold colour and a nose which is unmistakably chardonnay, with scents of orange blossom, orange zest and full oak aromatics. The palate is fine-grained, tasting of oranges and orange marmalade with subtle tones of wood and nuts in a full, sumptuous palate. In our experience these wines can be very long lived and they show considerable flavour development in the first 2-3 years. |
