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Wine Information
The first release Dawson & James Chardonnay is a single vineyard wine made from vines planted on the Meadowbank Vineyard in 1989.
The grapes were handpicked on 30th March when flavour accumulation remained balanced by lively natural acidity.
The berries were fresh and crunchy and displayed a beautiful green, gold translucency.
After whole bunch pressing the free run juice was fermented in French oak barriques, one third of which were new.
We were seeking natural fermentation character through using a selected yeast that was hybridised from known naturally occurring yeast species. This provided the comfort of an even, somewhat controlled fermentation that would not impact on the innate character of the fruit and terroir.
Using this approach we have captured the minerality of this site combined with primary grapefruit/lemon characters of the grapes along with an alluring wildness both on nose and palate.
An extra layer of complexity was derived from partial malolactic fermentation and finely integrated oak.
The wine shows an extraordinary level of integration that is testimony to the intensity and balance of the Chardonnay grapes from this 21 year old vineyard.
The lasting impression is one of fresh, lemony natural acidity and moreish mouthfeel that invites another glass.