Four O’Clock Chardonnay 2012
Tasting Notes
‘Four o’clock’ is all about the lovely chardonnay characters of stone fruit (nectarine and white peach) and citrus (lime and pink grapefruit) without any oak influence whatsoever. The wonderful stone fruit and citrus characters follow through onto the palate, and this combined with a fresh, crisp acidity make for a balanced, complex yet subtle wine with considerable length. Try with a mushroom risotto or roast chook.
Vintage
Vintage 2012 was condensed into about 8 weeks from go to whoa which meant we had finished crushing all grapes by the end of March. Generally this feat would only be accomplished by the middle to end of April. Yields across all varieties were considerably down on average (from 15-40% in some varieties), but quality looked good for both reds and whites. We had cool conditions up until the end of February then some rain, which did not affect things too much (see vintage 2011)as the whites were already picked and safely in the winery.
Winemaking
We made the wine using several components which had been picked, handled and fermented separately. Our aim is to add complexity to the finished wine. The Spring Seed Chardonnay is essentially a single vineyard wine. All fruit was handled oxidatively, and pressed very gently. One batch underwent a wild ferment .The other two batches underwent a long, controlled fermentation in stainless steel to protect the aromatics of the Chardonnay. After fermentation has finished, we keep the batches on solids for as long as possible to further increase the complexity of the wine, and to protect the wines against oxidation. None of the batches went through malolactic fermentation to help retain the wine’s natural acidity.
Other Vintages
Technical Details
Picking Date: 3rd, 6th, 9th and 16th February 2012
pH: 3.14
Total Acidity: 6.59 g/L
Alc/Vol: 13.0%
Bottling Date: 9th September 2013