The many facets that make a great Chardonnay

An analogy that you may have heard us refer to in the Cellardoor is that Collina Chardonnay is like a diamond with its many facets.  The diamond’s technical term for brilliance is ‘super ideal’ with ‘D Clarity’, ‘flawless’ and a higher weight or ‘carates’ all highly desired.  If there was a wine scale like the diamond scale then the Collina is a brilliant diamond.  The Estate Chardonnay is on the next class down with the Primavera Chardonnay following closely behind. Many of our customers will understand this analogy - in each Chardonnay we craft, our goal is to integrate as many of these 'facets' as possible while maintaining clarity and ensuring no single element overshadows the others. We aim to make wines of balance that shine with many facets.

This meticulous process begins in the vineyard, where different chardonnay clones are grown and it is the viticulturist's job to cultivate each to maximise their strengths.  For example one plot might be shoot thinned to control vigour, while another is not. Similarly we pluck the vine’s leaves nearing harvest on the eastern side of a row to optimise sunlight exposure - whereas in a less vigorous row, no leaf plucking is done to prevent sunburn on the delicate berries. Each plot of chardonnay, and sometimes rows within a plot, might be harvested on different days. We are not only looking for sugar ripeness but phenolic ripeness as well.

The grapes for chardonnay at our winery are always whole bunch pressed.  All juice is fermented on full solids.  We use a number of different French oak coopers for our chardonnay, we use barriques for the more premium wines and a mixture of barriques and puncheons for our Primavera Chardonnay. This allows the winemaking to build a facet with more or less oak depending on what the wine requires, we are always in harmony with what the vintage requires having crafted chardonnay from our site for over 3 decades.

Malotic fermentation is another tool we use to create a textural facet.  There is a more creamy texture in our more premium chardonnays compared to our Primavera Chardonnay.  This is deliberate - our Collina Chardonnay and Estate Chardonnay yielded at 3 and 5 tonnes/ha, respectively, compared to the Pirmavera Chardonnay that yielded 7 tonnes/ha.  Lower yields add more tannin and body, allowing for more creaminess to be included without forsaking balance. For the Primavera, where we aim for a fruitier profile, we only allow 80% malolactic fermentation to suit this wine’s profile.

Biodynamics offers another facet in so much that wine is free of pesticides, fungicides and artificial fertilisers.  In addition biodynamics, according to Rudolf Steiner, draws to the vineyard a spiritual connection to the cosmos creating harmony within the vineyard.