Treeton: It’s a weird little area full of hillbillies, dairy cows and, interestingly, some great Chardonnay vineyards. Cold at night, warm in the day with deep silver-grey sands that we think produce special Chardonnay. This wine is a combination of two awesome Treeton vineyards: the original and favourite Tassell Park; and a new vineyard called Grace & White.
I know you’re all sick of hearing it, but it was again a very good vintage. Quite long and largely cool, there was some disease pressure but not too much and, as such, it all worked out pretty damn fine. The season was Goldilocksesque in terms of picking dates. As always these vineyards were some of the last picked on 5th and 9th April, a couple of weeks later than in 2018.
The grapes were harvested by hand and whole bunch-pressed directly to new, one- and two-year-old puncheons, with a smattering of barriques for good measure. We did no settling or fining. This juice was then very carefully neglected and allowed to undergo spontaneous fermentation, which kicked off on day five after pressing. After a six-week ferment the wine remained on gross lees unsulphured until August of that year. In November it was emptied from barrel, settled, filtered and bottled.
This wine is, unsurprisingly, super cool. It’s pale green, redolent of white stone fruits and the suggestion of flint and funk. So pure, and finer than the 2018 – but the texture and length of flavour are to die for. Chardonnay is what Jesus made when he turned water into wine, it’s also why we winemakers have a God complex. – Alana & Julian Langworthy