Winemaking: Estate grown at our Charleston vineyard ‘Schoenthal’ meaning Beautiful Valley. Picked early from low yielding vines at night to preserve fruit quality. 100% Chardonnay planted in 1997. 10V1 Clone knows for small bunches and great natural acidity. Primary fermentation using traditional EC-1118 Champagne yeast in stainless steel, no malolactic fermentation. Wine was settled, racked off gross lees and fined appropriately. Secondary fermentation was done in the magnum bottles which were hand bottled, disgorged and labelled. The wine was bottle fermented and remained on lees for 3 months.

Story: We picked this fruit not knowing where the wine would end up. The December bushfires at the end of 2019 surrounded this block for 3 days and subsequently we removed 30,000 vines from this vineyard. Our Schoenthal vineyard has always been a premium site for sparkling grape production and this wine is now a shining light from what was easily one of the most challenging vintages in Adelaide Hills history. At 490m above sea level and cooler than average temperatures, the Adelaide Hills produce some of the best sparkling wine in Australia. This wine has been made to thank those people who have supported us this year.

Taste: Vibrant lemon rind, stone fruit and key lime flavours dominate. The Chardonnay offers great length and fresh acidity, finishing fresh and dry with a hint of creaminess. This wine will develop with age.

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