A typical mildly wet Margaret River winter
helped top up soil moisture levels giving way to a temperate growing season with low rainfall and plenty of sunshine. Sporadic rain events continued into the harvest period which, coupled with moderate temperatures, minimized vine stress yet maximised fruit quality. A perfect year for our dry-grown vines with excellent ripening conditions ensuring great sugar levels with racy and intense flavours.

This youthful wine is powerful and complex displaying ripe pineapple, poached apple, frangipane and fresh cream aromas, with a honeyed richness highlighted by oak notes of fresh cedar and toasted hazelnuts. As the wine opens up, hints of vanilla bean, wet pebble, stone fruit and buttered popcorn emanate beautifully.

The palate is smothered with round ripe flavours of Fuji apple, dried mango, and wild rice pudding that is both creamy and unctuous. A complex array of fresh cashew, lemon peel, raw macadamia and nectarine notes flesh out this texturally expansive wine to complete this captivating expression of Margaret River chardonnay.

Golden hay with a hint of fresh green.

The winemakers recommend pairing the richness and power of this wine with a lime/chilli infused ceviche of king fish and pickled jalapenos, or with a simple fresh water crayfish grilled on the barbecue with a drizzle of lemon juice. Grilled vegetables served with a spicy satay sauce matches very well to the wine’s citrus creaminess.

Our two estate Chardonnay sites, Chapman Brook and Crossroads, found in the cooler southern reaches of Margaret River, are planted to the Gin Gin selection along with classic Burgundian clones 76 and 95 and one patch of Californian clone 5 on granite derived lateritic soils. The leaf canopy is opened early and extensively, with leaf thinning by hand to fully expose berries for even ripening. Cool nights preserve the inherent vibrancy of fruit, each block picked separately to display its personality.