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The country around Augusta offers the most interesting circumstances to grow Chardonnay in Margaret River if not mainland Australia.  The variety responds to uniformly cool temperatures during ripening and in a favourable year we have complete freedom from flavour damaging heat spikes into the high 20s.

Chardonnay is capable of producing quality wines of varying style across a range of different climates. However the most intense grape flavours provide the best foundation to work with. We find it useful to control yield via bunch removal before and after flowering.

We think our trellising arrangements provide the right balance between sun and shade to yield golden coloured fruit with little green chlorophyll content and a low quotient of the accompanying astringency.

Growing the vine without water results in an extended root zone which provides a great buffer against adversity in the heat of summer, reliable performance from year to year and the ability to ripen the crop speedily.

The fruit character is distinctly white peach and this with a tight fine acid structure and a voluminous mid palate defines Karridale Chardonnay.

No other variety allows the winemaker so much room to move in terms of flavour modification in the winery. In this wine we have used barrel fermentation in new oak, yeast lees stirring, partial malolactic fermentation, some solids in the ferment and both reductive and oxidative handling techniques.

James Halliday: Bright straw-green; typical of top-end modern Australian style that is (finally) attracting praise from overseas; the oak is merely incidental music to the intense and fine fruit based on natural acidity; you can drink the wine today or in 5 years and enjoy it equally well. Screwcap. 13.6% alc

Rating 94 Drink 2017 $27