2023 Beginning Chardonnay

Vineyard Location

The Beginning Chardonnay emerges from the Adelaide Hills, specifically a single vineyard parcel at an elevation of 396m in Hahndorf. This cool-climate region, marked by lean soils, imparts low vine vigor, yielding small, compact, and intensely flavored bunches. The Bernard 95, 124, and Mendoza clones of Chardonnay thrive in this unique terroir, contributing to the distinct character of the 2023 vintage.

Season

Vintage 2023 unfolded as a prolonged cool season influenced strongly by La Niña. Steady ripening and low crop loads ensured optimal maturation of all varieties. A delayed flowering and fruit set due to cool to cold temperatures in October and November extended into veraison occurring up to one month later than the average. Mild summer temperatures and above-average rainfall in late January provided ideal conditions. The unseasonably cool Spring led to a delayed harvest, lingering into May. The resulting wines from 2023 are richly flavoured, incredibly aromatic, and of extremely high quality.

Vinification

Chardonnay grapes, handpicked in the early morning, were swiftly whole bunch pressed, extracting only the pure free-run juice at 550L/t. After 6 hours of settling in tanks, the clear juice with light lees was transferred to a mix of 228L Barriques and 500L Puncheons. Some underwent inoculation with a chardonnay-specific yeast for enhanced character and texture, while the rest went through a wild fermentation for complexity. After 2-3 weeks in a cool cellar, the wines naturally progressed through malolactic fermentation during 9 months in barrels on lees. The winemaking team blind-tasted and selected a blend with 61% new oak and 39% 2-4 year seasoned French oak. The final blend rested for an additional month on lees in tanks, ensuring a smooth integration before bottling.

Technical

Clone: B95 | B124 • Alcohol: 13% • Residual Sugar: 0 g/L • Total Acidity: 6.0 g/L • pH: 3.34 • Altitude: 396m • Vegan: No • Contains sulphites

Grape Variety

100% Chardonnay

Food Match

Roast chicken with sage butter

Production

6,173 bottles

Winemaker

The Lane Vineyard

Best Drinking

Cellar up to 10 years

Size

750ml