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Wine Description
The Story
Typically, the Tiers Vineyard is hand harvested in the last week of March to the first week of April.
A normal analysis of Tiers Chardonnay grapes at harvest is:
Sugar: 23.5 Brix
Total Acid: 8gpl
pH: 3.1
The tiny bunches are selectively hand harvested into 0.3 tonne slotted trays and put into the cold room at the Tapanappa winery at the bottom of the vineyard. After 24 hours in the cold room the fruit at 2C is tipped as whole fruit into the 4-tonne air-bag press.
The juice from the cold whole bunches is gently pressed to a tank with a small addition of sulphur dioxide. There are no enzymes or other additions made, before the partially clarified juice is gravitated to Vosges oak barriques, one third new, for fermentation in barrel. We add our own selected yeast to conduct the fermentation in the naturally cool conditions of the autumn. The fermentation takes place slowly over 2 to 3 months and when complete the barriques are topped and the wine is allowed to rest on lees until the summer.
In January the Chardonnay wine is clear racked off lees and bottled.