2008 Chardonnay

The elegant structure of the Victory Point Chardonnay is largely due to the combination of the Burgundian clones (76, 95, 96 & 277) together with the more traditional Mendoza clone.

The Chardonnay vines have been dry grown from planting and are showing the benefit of having developed a deep root structure, however yields have remained extremely low.

In Margaret River, the indications for the 2008 vintage are that it could be outstanding for red and white wines. The heavy rainfall over winter and spring was followed by some isolated hail storms which completely missed Victory Point. Spring growth was profuse and the warm summer led to anticipated early ripeness, however the temperatures cooled over January giving time for flavours and sugar content to develop. At Victory Point, just north of the Margaret River township, the grapes continued to ripen evenly during February. Each clone was hand picked separately, starting with #277 on 18/2/2008 at 11.8 Baume, through to the Mendoza clone on the 25/2/08 at 13.6 Baume.

On delivery to the winery the whole bunches are pressed to tank for cold stabilisation, then racked to barrel for primary fermentation. Once completed the wine is racked and returned to barrels where malolactic fermentation took place. Maturation occurred for approximately 8 months in a mix of new (50%) and 1 year old French oak barrels.

The wine was bottled with screwcap closures on 23/12/2008.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale straw in colour with a hint of green. This hue is accentuated with a brightness that makes the colour radiate out of the glass.

Nose: Minerally / flinty on the nose with nutty oak being dominant at this stage. All this has background hints of lemon brulae.

Palate: This wine is tightly focused along the full length of the palate. Very much “Chablis” like in structure it has hints of grapefruit, citrus and grippy pineapple flavours mixed seamlessly with toasted almonds, of the oak, on the palate. Finish is long and has a hint of butterscotch to it.

With its structure this wine will cellar for many years.