Chardonnay - 2008

Hastwell & Lightfoot Chardonnay

McLaren Vale, Australia

Tasting Note: 100% McLaren Vale fruit – Estate grown

COLOUR: Medium to pale straw.

AROMA: Abundance of fresh ripe apricots & peaches complemented by a subtle hint of oak in the background.

PALATE: A fruit driven style free of malolactic butteriness. Strong peach & citrus fresh fruit flavours, generous mid palate enhanced by a hint of oak. All wrapped up with a clean acid finish.

AWARDS

McLaren Vale Show - Bronze

Wine State - 3 stars

Wine Wise - Bronze

Wine Background

 

Vineyard Site

Sand 350 to 600mm deep over clay. North side hills of McLaren Vale.

Planted

1988, 6 acres

Trellis

Wide space double cordon, 900mm apart allowing good air flow

and light into the bunches.

Irrigation

Drip @ 12 litres a vine every 4 days.

Season

Very low rainfall through winter & spring gave the vines a poor start

to the growing season and a resulting low fruit set. Late spring

frosts also did not help. Summer was warm & dry.

Harvest

Picked February 23 2008

13.7 Beaume, 4.0 tonnes to the acre.

Winemaking

Fermented in 2 tonne closed fermenters, temperature controlled

between 18 & 22 degrees. Ferment period 8 days. Half the wine

finished off the ferment in new oak for 10 weeks and then blended

back with the other half which was in stainless steel.

Cold stabilised early to arrest malolactic fermentation.

Bottled

Bottled August 2008

Alc. 14.5, pH 3.07, TA 7.03