Winemaker Phil LeMessurier’s 2020 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay came into the winery on the back of a complex growing season. Cold conditions at flowering, followed by a drastic heat wave in mid December to January. Gave way to variably low yields across all varieties. Yet post the festive season they experienced a very cool February, allowing the vines to enter into an extended ripening period and a chance to find some balance. So the elegance and structure found in the 2020 wines has this late seasonal cooling to thank.

Both vineyards are hand picked and whole bunch pressed to the tank. The juice is then racked from the bottom valve to barrel. Our 2020 Chardonnay are 100% natural (wild) fermentation across all barrels with partial MLF. They ferment all Chardonnays in barriques (225L) and Puncheons (500L). Once through fermentation the barrels are topped and tasted weekly. Once the wine has settled down SO2 is added to each barrel individually and the wine is matured for 6-8 months in barrel on gross lees. The barrels are stirred prior to emptying to tank and wines are allowed to settle in tank for 3 months prior to bottling. (Due to the cool conditions leading into harvest, acid retention and fruit purity gave rise to sound structure. With this in mind they pushed the level of MLF across our vineyards to 30%)

The 2020 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay finds purpose and depth with white peach, ginger melon flavours dominating the palate. A slight hint of lifted flint hugs the fruit and added by a subtle honeyed waxy-shell character helps to power the wine’s complex structure. A combination of vineyards, growing conditions and minimal intervention in the winery delivered this Chardonnay and to that note, Phil and the Corduroy team are sincerely proud of it.

Vineyards: Rathmine Vineyard

Viti: Mark Vella

Region: Echunga

Clone: Bernard 96

Age of vine: 25 yrs old

Site location: Rathmine (-35.075820, 138.791355)

Vineyard: Morialta Park

Viti: Ross Christian

Region: Norton Summit

Clone: uncertain

Age: 25yrs old

Site Location (-34.915579, 138.720683)

Alc/Vol: 12.8%