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.
 

 

 

Recent Pinot Noir Reviews

2022 La Roccia Single Block Pinot Noir

1. James Suckling Top 100 #1 Wine in Australia - 99 points
2. The World of Fine Wine, Sarah Ahmed (UK) - 96+ points
3. The Wine Front, Campbell Mattison - 94+ points
4. Halliday Wine Companion, Dave Brookes - 95 points

"[La Roccia]'s a structured wine with complex spice, twig and undergrowth characters on display but the boldness of the fruit pushes through and keeps the focus where it should be. Glorious Pinot Noir fruit, rich and fresh at once. There’s a slightly forestry aspect to the aromatics and noteworthy finesse to the tannin. Lubiana’s pinots often walk a confident line between fruit-forward and fruit-backward and this wine is the perfect example of that, in the best of ways."  Campell Mattison - The Wine Front

2022 Ruscello Single Block Pinot Noir

1. James Suckling, Ryan Montgomery - 96 points
2. The World of Fine Wine, Sarah Ahmed (UK) - 95 points
3. The Wine Front, Campbell Mattison - 94 points
4. Halliday Wine Companion, Dave Brookes - 96 points

"[Ruscello] Perfumed and lifted aromas of dark cherries, Damson plums, cocoa, dried herbs and amaro liqueur. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and bright acidity, giving notes of wild raspberries, pine resin, strawberries and lavender. Well balanced and vibrant, with a savory undertone coming from 100% whole cluster. Excellent."  Ryan Montgomery - James Suckling

2022 Il Giardino Single Block Pinot Noir

1. James Suckling, Ryan Montgomery - 95 points
2. The World of Fine Wine, Sarah Ahmed (UK) - 96+ points
3. The Wine Front, Campbell Mattison - 95 points
4. Halliday Wine Companion, Dave Brookes - 96 points

"[Il Giardino] wonderfully purely presented wine, savoury and perfectly balanced with a slow umami burn as it fades away. It's all wild strawberry and dark cherries with hints of exotic spice, turned leaves, mushroom broth, amaro, Chinese barbecue joint, dried citrus peel and peripheral gamey nuance. Powdered stony tannins, finishing dry and taut yet beautifully expressive; sour cherry, raspberry and strawberry as it trails slowly away"  Dave Brookes - Halliday Wine Companion

 

2022 Sasso Pinot Noir

1. Halliday Wine Companion, Dave Brookes - 96 points
2. The Wine Front, Mike Bennie - 94+ points
3. Wine Advocate, Erin Larkin - 95 points

"The 2022 Sasso is perfumed and gently dusty with raspberry, bramble, licorice, forest-floor complexity, pomegranate molasses and even a suggestion of game. In the mouth, the wine is smoky and ashy, which feels the product of green stems rather than fire, and within this context makes for engaging green peppercorn inflected drinking. It's a wine of individulaity and expression - distrinction. I believe this wine will age exceptionally well."   Erin Larkin - Robert Parker Wine Advocate