2023 Heritage Chardonnay

Vineyard Location

From our Hahndorf estate in Adelaide Hills, situated at an elevation of 450m, a single vineyard parcel with a uniform North Easterly aspect was chosen for the entire 2023 Heritage Chardonnay. The lean soils limit vigour, yielding small, compact, and intensely flavored bunches. Planted with the well-established Bernard 95 clone Chardonnay, this block was handpicked on March 21st, 2023.

Season

The 2023 season was long and cool. Steady and consistent ripening matched with low crop loads ensured all varieties ripened well with the benefit of good-sized canopies. Mild, cool nights enhanced flavour development. The resulting wines are richly flavoured and high in quality with incredible aromatics.

Vinification

Chardonnay grapes underwent meticulous whole bunch pressing, extracting only the pure free run portion at 550L/t. After settling for 6 hours, the clear juice with light lees aged in 500L Puncheons and 228L Barriques. Fermentation took place over 3 to 4 weeks in the cool cellar, employing a mix of cultured and wild yeast for complexity. Following 9 months on lees, including wild Malo-Lactic fermentation, the winemaking team blind-tasted and selected the best 3 Puncheons and 3 Barriques for the final blend, featuring 64% new French oak. Post-racking, the blend rested an additional month on lees for gentle integration before bottling.

Technical

Clone: B95 • Alcohol: 12.5% • Residual Sugar: 0 g/L • Total Acidity: 6.1 g/L • pH: 3.21 • Altitude: 450m • Slope: North-Easterly aspect • Vegan: Yes • Contains sulphites

Grape Variety

100% Chardonnay

Food Match

Pork Belly

Production

2,910 Bottles

Winemaker

The Lane Vineyard

Best Drinking

Cellar up to 20 years

Size

750ml