2020 Chardonnay
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"Aromatic power and exceptional balance between generosity and tension; a fine illustration of our mature vineyards and their remarkable location"
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In Margaret River, considered one of Australia’s premium chardonnay growing regions, Cape Mentelle creates wines of plush texture, depth and power, yet balanced with a fine frame of acidity. Built around the classic local Gingin clone, this multilayered and complex wine draws upon an additional array of clones and multiple microclimates within our sites, benefiting from cool nights to capture an exquisite vibrancy of fruit.
Nose
The Chardonnay 2020 reveals a beautiful and expressive nose of white flowers, yellow peach, beeswax and hints of brioche.
Palate
Hand-picked Chardonnay from our own vineyards with “one plot one batch” approach, gently pressed and transferred to barrel for wild fermentation. Oak selection focuses on enhancing fruits and specificities of each plot. Wine is then left unsulphured for a few weeks post ferment and undergoes a stirring regime monitored by tasting to build texture and refine structure. In this blend, our Chapman Chardonnay provides generosity and weight while our Crossroad fruit adds another layer of tension to the wine. Essentially, the team aims to interlay each block to ensure that the final wine showcases the unique taste of each sites’ characteristics and clonal diversity.
Blend
Chardonnay 100%
Cellaring
10-15 years
Food Pairing Notes
Spinach gnocchi with parmesan, chilli crab linguini or cheesy puffs.
The Vineyard
The fruit in this wine comes from our two southern sites, providing brightness, purity and natural acidity. The blocks are set up on a VSP trellis system and are a combination of spur and cane pruning depending on the block. The value that these parcels provide is their excellent expression of site and region.
Winemaking
The fruit is 100% hand-picked into small baskets with a capacity of only 6.5kg to ensure it arrives in pristine condition. Gin Gin clone fruit from our Chapman Brook vineyard block 17 was the first to be picked in early March, with the very last pick coming from our Crossroads Vineyard Burgundy clones 95 & 76 on April 1. After gentle whole-bunch pressing, the juice goes straight to barrels, with all the solids remaining. We use Burgundian oak exclusively, one third being new. The 100% wild ferment is left to happen naturally with some malolactic fermentation encouraged. The wine was bottled over two days in mid-January, just before the start of the following harvest.
Analysis
14.3% alcohol, 7.43g/l total acidity, 3.24 pH
Wine Companion
2020 was a ripe vintage, and it leads to this ripe, voluminous, almost tropical chardonnay. Rich and full bodied, glossy (as is the style of the CM chardonnay) and streamlined. A big wine, a smart wine. Opulent.
