|
2006 Red Hill Estate Chardonnay Tasting Notes
Chardonnay from the Mornington Peninsula has a deservedly great reputation due to its cool maritime climate. Red Hill Estate has been making this incredibly popular and successful style of Chardonnay for over a decade.
Fruit
These Chardonnay grapes are from our vineyards from both the elevated cool parts of the Peninsula & the warmer more northerly regions, predominantly from our Range Road vineyard.
Maturation
The wine was partially fermented cool in stainless steel tanks and then transferred to French oak barriques (33% new, 33% one year old, 33% two year old) to finish its fermentation. The wine was matured on lees (with a little gentle stirring) for nine months. About 20% malolactic fermentation was allowed to occur naturally in the oak before the wine was removed from barrel, chilled and SO2 added.
Technical Analysis
Alcohol 13.0%.
Best Drinking
The Red Hill Estate Chardonnay is always very fruit shy in its first year (which shouldn’t bother anyone, as we don’t release it until it has been in bottle for at least 12 months). Over its second year, the fruit starts to emerge and the wine begins to come into beautiful balance. The fruit just continues to grow for another three or so years. It is still later that honeyed, toasty characters start to add even further layers to the wine. The optimal drinking time is very much a question of individual taste but bottles are still showing lively fruit after more than 5 years. Well done if you can wait that long!
Bouquet and Palate
This wine has a nose with a range of tropical aromas, particularly pineapple, grapefruit, spice and some lemon citrus. The palate is long, rich and silky with beautiful balance. It has that beautiful cool climate chardonnay combination of a smooth creaminess but with a crisp acid finish. Please do not disguise all of its subtle fragrances by overchilling. |
