in the vineyard : Varietal: Chardonnay - clone ER 166
Rootstock: R99
Soil type: Hutton - decomposed granite
Age of vines: Planted 1985
Plant density: 3989 vines per hectare
Trellising: Vertical hedge
Pruning: 2-bud spurs every 12 cm
Yield: Approximately 6.2 tons per ha
Irrigation: Supplementary drip
Vintage: One of the more difficult vintages in recent years. Warm spells of weather, with random rainy periods during the ripening period.
in the cellar : Yeasts: D522
Fermentation temp: About 19° Celsius
Method: De-stalk, crush, overnight skin-contact, pressed, settled in horizontal stainless steel tanks and fermented in 228 litre French oak barrels, 10% new wood balance 2nd and 3rd fill barrels.
Battonage: Barrels stirred every two weeks to promote yeast autolysis.
Second Fermentation: 100% of the bottling completed malolactic fermentation in barrel.