Terra Felix 2008 Chardonnay

Winemaker’s Notes:

Our objective is to produce a robust style of Chardonnay that could be enjoyed at an early age yet without broadening or developing too quickly. The fruit was chosen from a range of Victorian vineyards for that purpose. The grapes were picked at the beginning of the tropical phase of ripening. This means that they had passed through the citrus stage and were at the peachy/melon phase. We wanted to particularly avoid going any further into the marmalade/apricot phase. The fruit did not need any skin contact (to avoid any broader flavours) and clean juice free of solids was decided on to achieve maximum freshness on the initial palate. A cold slow fermentation was used for the same reasons. French oak at a medium toast level was selected because we wanted to avoid the vanillin flavours that American oak gives. The French oak with is much more subtle and creates cashew and nutty flavours. This fits well with our style objective. We wanted the oak to have an awareness and to mix subtly with the grape and fermentation flavours but not to dominate. The best wines are always balanced. This wine required a slow build up of the natural flavours. The careful fruit handling reflected that, the cool controlled fermentation reflected that, the use of carefully selected fine grained French oak reflected that, and the early bottling to capture all those characteristics also reflected that.
 (see reviews)(May 08 Reviews)

Tasting notes:

Attractive pale straw colour. The aroma displays a rich bouquet of typical varietal chardonnay flavours of peaches and melons. The palate combines summer fruit flavours and integrated nutty French oak. The crisp acid finish ensures the wine is refreshing and delightfully balanced. Enjoy with almost anything!

Wine details:
100% Chardonnay
Region: Victoria
Alcohol: 13.9%, pH 3.28, TA 7.11
No fining (no allergens or additives)
Preservatives: 220 (sulphur dioxide)
Winemaker: Terry Barnett.