SRS Chardonnay 2010
WINEMAKING NOTES
2010 was a fantastic Chardonnay vintage in Margaret River; most winemakers agree Chardonnay was the stand out variety of the season. Cool temperatures and moderate winds in spring set the vines up beautifully before the season gradually warmed up during late December and January. There was no disease pressure and no rainfall.
The fruit for the 2010 Flametree Sub Regional Series Chardonnay was sourced from the Steven’s Valley in the cooler south of Margaret River. As with many of the best Margaret River Chardonnays the clone of choice is Gin Gin, this fruit comes from moderate yielding vines on a nice piece of north east facing gravelly loam. The fruit was handpicked during the first week of February at 12.2 baume. The fruit for the Sub Regional Series Chardonnay was whole bunch pressed and settled overnight. Turbid juice was then transferred into barrel where the wine was left to undergo wild ferment. The secret to successful wild ferment is high turbidity juices and low alcohols. I still see so many stressed, volatile and stuck wild ferments on the market. MLF was blocked; I believe Margaret River Chardonnay has enough texture; MLF often thickens the wines and interferes with the fruit purity. The 2010 Sub Regional Series Chardonnay was barrel fermented in French oak, 33% new, the remainder being two and three year seasoned wood.
TASTING NOTES
The 2010 Sub Regional Series Chardonnay is finely structured with tight citrus and stone fruit flavours. Classic southern Chardonnay fruit flavours of dried pear, grapefruit and melon are supported by subtle French oak. The Sub Regional Series Chardonnay has some complex sulphides in the struck match or popcorn spectrum; these give the wine a lovely savoury finish. After 12 months in the finest French oak, with regular stirring the wine was filtered and bottled in February 2011.
AWARDS / REVIEWS
- 96 Points - James Halliday, Wine Companion 2012
- 96 Points - Tyson Stelzer, Wine Taste 2011
- 96 Points - Jeremy Oliver
BLEND
100% Margaret River Chardonnay.
CELLARING
This Chardonnay will improve over and up to 8 years.
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