Pooley Chardonnay 2023 (Tasmania)

The 2023 growing season started with budburst in September and continued with flowering in November. This year, we experienced a lot of wind and rain during flowering which makes for very challenging conditions. Between October and December 2022, there was 230mm of rainfall at both of our vineyard sites. It resulted in poor fruit set, and an overall reduction in yield for the season. Late December saw the rain disappear, leading away from the La Nina weather pattern and towards a drier, warmer El Nino period. It was a mild summer with no extremes of heat, whilst remaining warm. This is great for steady and slow development of flavour, acid, sugar, and tannin. All the elements that make for great quality wine.

Fruit was cooled to 5 degrees overnight before being whole bunch pressed. Juice was fermented in tank to keep temperatures maintained at 18 degrees celsius then transferred to barrel at less than 1 Baume to finish ferment in barrel. It remained in barrel for 7 months on full lees. It was aged in French oak barriques of which 20% were new. 20% malolactic fermentation.