Vintage

Possibly the first "classic" vintage I've ever experienced in the Hunter. "Classic" as the older guard call it refers to how grapes for table wine where never picked until February rolled around. 2023 was exactly this, we didn't pick a grape
until February.

Vineyard

Our Single Vineyard Chardonnay block is grown on well-drained sandy loam soils located in the heart of Hunter Valley wine country NSW. It is our vineyard’s best block of Chardonnay, south facing and planted on a 450-million-year-old marine fossil ridge.. The crop yields are relatively low, producing excellent concentration of fruit flavour.

Winemaking

Sourced from the Briar Hill block, on the hill behind the cellar door, the fruit was hand harvested and gently pressed straight to oak where natural fermentation occurred. After 9 months in oak the wine was assembled into tank where it remained for a further 2 months on yeast lees to encourage reductive elements. Lightly fined and bottled.

Tasting Notes

Green apple on white peach, the wine is alluringly reductive with nuances of lime like acidity and great persistence. This wine will likely evolve slowly over the next 3-4 years where it will showcase classic Hunter fruit alongside greater complex savoury components with more palate weight and density, holding in this style for a further 2-3 years.