The Chardonnay from Pimpernel is perfectly on point again with the 2020 release a fine blend of white peach, slightly acidic hints of lemon with a long drawn out and lingering palate.
The fruit was gently basket pressed, then fermented in new and seasoned French oak barrels and maturation in the barrel on lees.
The wine making style adopted from Burgundy (specifically Côte de Beaune) and transferred to the Yarra Valley in Victoria Australia utilises dry-land farming practices. According to wine maker Damien Archibald “The vines are planted at the cooler eastern end of the vineyard, and comprises of mostly P58 clone with 6 rows of an unclassified clone sourced from Yarra Yering. The north-west facing Gruyere vineyard fruit was all I10V5 clone. All fruit was handpicked, yielding less than 1.7 tonnes per acre. The fruit was lightly crushed and bunches were gently basket pressed, with the resulting free run and pressed juice sent to tank for cooling. Chilled juice was transferred by gravity to barrel (barriques, 36% new; French oak), for fermentation with a selected yeast culture. During élevage, the wine received early and light lees stirring to ensure fermentation completed and the palate structure was enhanced. After 12 months stabilising and maturing in barrel, the wine was racked off lees, and bottled without filtration.”
Awards and Reviews
- 89/100 Points – Philip Rich – Wine Companion
- 93/100 Points – Almanak
Price $65 AUD