2023 Chardonnay
Beechworth & Yarra Valley, VIC
Perfect, pale green colour and lifted grapefruit aromas. The French oak sits nicely with the fine, juicy citrus flavours on the palate, accompanied by subtle bran meal. The driving force of this wine is the acidity – long and pure. More than three-quarters from Beechworth, the balance being from the Yarra Valley. The final components of this wine basically selected themselves. Another top-notch vintage!
CRU $315.00 I SVC $297.00
In Stock
Wine Specs
Vintage
2023
Varietal
Chardonnay
Acid
7.10 g/L
pH
3.26
Residual Sugar
2.0 g/L
Alcohol %
12.75
Wine Profile
Vinification
The wine saw oxidative handling, which results in low phenolics and, ultimately, a greater complexity. A combination of pure yeast ferments with small parcels of wild ferments.
Winemaker Comments
A milder and significantly later-than-average growing season was the dominant factor in Beechworth for vintage 2023. Above-average rainfall throughout 2022 made for another challenging growing season, with vineyard access and disease pressure a constant.
January was wet, with over 100 mm falling for the month.
Thankfully, the rain cleared for February, allowing the vineyard to dry off. The fruit was picked before additional rain in March, with the fruit in good condition with fine acidity.
Brokenwood, along with a large number of Chardonnay producers, are harvesting much earlier than 15 years ago. This is partly due to many vineyards reaching maturity and therefore having excellent fruit flavour and concentration at lower sugar levels, but also due to our desire to retain natural fruit acidity. Additionally, consumers are demanding more finely structured Chardonnay, meaning lower alcohols and less oak.
Food Pairing
Rich seafood, pasta and light meat dishes.
Drink
Drinking very well now or over the short term.