This wine shows intense aromas of ripe white stone fruit and citrus pith, with grilled almonds, ginger spice and subtle flint. The palate has ripe stonefruit flavours beautifully balanced with citrus and red apple dancing in the background along with the integrated French oak characters. The creamy mouthfeel texture from fine lees ageing is supported by refined acidity giving the wine focus and purpose. The finish is precise and the savoury nuttiness leaves a tactile sensation that is long and persistent.
Enjoy with the flavours of a Saganaki cheese, maple smoked bacon, pineapple, spinach and Kewpie mayo burger on a milk bun.
Evans Vineyard was established in 1981 by visionary winemaker Peter Read, who realised that the climate and soils were ideal for growing then unheralded varieties from cool regions of the world. When Peter Read retired, he passed the torch to new owners Peter and Suzanne Evans, who maintain his legacy by devoting the vineyard to the continued production of cool climate wines of the world. The Evans vineyard is located at Myrrhee, in a picturesque tributary valley of the main King River system. The secret to the Evans Vineyard success is really no secret at all - attention to detail and a great vineyard site.
THE WINEMAKING
Picked on the 31st March in the early morning at 8°C with a baumé of 12.2. The wine was then gently pressed and only the light free run was used for the final blend. The wine was racked partially cloudy and warmed to a tank where it was seeded with a Chardonnay specific yeast isolate. Once the culture had clearly commenced, the ferment was pumped into French oak barrels: 30% new, 30% one year old, with the balance of 40% two years and older. The wine fermented for 20 days at a temperature of between 18 - 22°C. In the last third of the ferment the wine was stirred daily to impart ferment complexity into the wine. After fermentation, the wine was stirred and encouraged to go through malolactic fermentation. This provided another layer of complexity while careful cellar attention maintained the freshness of the wine. The wine rested and matured on lees for 12 months. The wine was racked from barrel and lightly fined and filtered prior to bottling.
THE VINTAGE
The 2023 vintage will go down as not only one of the latest on record, but also one of the most challenging in recent memory. A third La Niña event in a row made for a much cooler and wetter spring followed by a cool summer and autumn with small rain events that certainly kept us on our toes. Whilst the weather made for some stressful and very busy periods, we were able to harvest everything at optimum ripeness and clean of disease. The below average crop levels coupled with a long slow ripening have produced wines that have intense aromatics, ripe flavours and all the hallmarks of age-worthiness. An excellent vintage.
