Region: Mornington Peninsula Grapes: Chardonnay First Glance: Buttery, Citrussy, Spicy
The Wine: Kooyong Estate Chardonnay comprises fruit from our Faultline and Farrago blocks. It offers an overall expression of the Kooyong vineyard, with parcels of fruit from various soils and mesoclimates blended together to create the Estate label. Year after year the same parcels are consistently chosen, giving this wine an underlying likeness across vintages. The grapes were gently whole-bunch pressed directly into French oak barriques (19% of which were new) where fermentation occurred spontaneously with ambient yeasts. Following fermentation the wine was aged on lees (without battonage) for 11 months. It was bottled without fining and with minimal filtration.
Aromatically exciting and complex, the nose displays aromas of stone fruits, lemon butter, citrus peel, and spicy oak-derived notes of anise and ginger. Soft pear juiciness and grain-like characteristics balance a tight citrus core of mandarin and grapefruit flavours. The palate runs long and finishes with bright acid and citrus pithiness. Allowing it time to unfurl, this wine will greatly reward time in the cellar.
