Clairault Estate Chardonnay 2010
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Tasting Note: Bright lemon straw colour. A perfumed aroma of lemon thyme, fresh olive oil and sage along with some nougat and nutty complexity. The aroma is fresh and restrained with an underlying minerally depth. The palate shows great length, clean white nectarine and peach flavours coat the mouth, supported by some very fine oak tannins and a clean line of acidity. It finishes with a creamy lemon nougat sweetness that lingers.
Winemaking Notes: The strong winds and storms that usually hammer Margaret River during Spring were not as intense during the lead up to the 2010 vintage, which was a relief to the sensitive flowering and fruit set of Chardonnay and resulted in above average yields. A typically dry Summer followed, once again providing for clean, precise fruit flavours. The fruit for this wine comes entirely from the Clairault property, and more specifically from our L Block which is a small NE facing plot just to the north of the winery. This block is planted with both gingin clone and Clone 5. The fruit is hand-picked and sorted prior to whole bunch pressing. Juice from the press goes straight to barrel with no settling and no additives. Fermentation occurred natually through yeasts brought in with the fruit. The wine is 100% barrel fermented, 40% new. Oak subtlelty is achieved through the use of high quality French barriques from trusted Burgundian coopers, combined with regular lees stirring (Battonage). Malo-lactic fermentation was deemed unnecessary to achieve the appropriate balance and complexity. 10 months of barrel maturation occured prior to bottling in February 2011.
Winemaker: Will Shields
