Tasting Notes
Oak Valley Chardonnay expresses very distinctive fruit aromas of green apple, orange peel, vanilla and honey oak characters. Mostly flavours of citrus fruits, orange and lime marmalade, with long lemony and mineral finish. Oak is well integrated and subtle. Full bodied, fresh, clean, elegant and beautifully balanced.
Ageing Potential
Cellaring potential of 5-8 years.
In The Vineyard
Aspect South-west facing slopes
Elevation 300-400m
Soil type Medium texture gravelly soils
Clones CY3, 5, 95, 268, 548
Rootstock R110, 101-14
Planting date 1992, 2008
Ha planted 5.21 ha
Average tonnage 5.94 tonnes p/ha
Irrigation Drip irrigation, post-harvest mostly
Trellis system Extended Perold
Vines per ha 3205 - 4167 vines
About The Harvest
Harvest date 13 March 2011
In The Cellar
Bunches are hand sorted, destemmed and go straight to press. Pressing juice is settled and racked into barrel where fermentation begins naturally. Fermentation in barrel occurs at 10-22°C until dry. After alcoholic fermentation, the wine went through 80% malolactic fermentation which started spontaneously. The wine is matured for 9 months in 35% new French oak using 300 litre hogsheads while the remainder is matured in 2nd and 3rd fill barrels.
