Caledonia Australis Chardonnay 2012
The 2012 vintage was strongly affected by the residual soil moisture that carried over from an incredibly wet 2011. The vines responded to the moisture and produced large strong canopies. The crop level was low (and this again was attributable to 2011) with a lower number of bunches per vine than usual. All these factors combined with a colder and drier than usual period in February and March to yield small but very concentrated bunches.
Like 2009 the harvest was more leisurely as the flavours came on gradually and we had plenty of time to watch and wait. In the end the appearance of low level shrivel caused us to start bringing the fruit in. 2012 was a landmark vintage for us, as it was the first year the chardonnay reached full Grade A Organic status.
Colour
Pale to mid straw
Nose
Cashews, stone fruit and stone fruit blossom
Palate
The palate shows toasty autolysis characters with integrated oak coming through as grilled nuts and spice. Citrus curd and fresh cream aromas also intermingle.
The fruit for this wine was hand harvested in small batches with the target of optimum richness for an acceptable level of acidity. Some botrytis was present but this was hand sorted as we picked. Each batch was then pressed and lightly settled before being racked to barrel cloudy. Fermentation was allowed to begin naturally and the barrels then underwent fermentation at there own pace. After fermentation the wine was left on full lees unsulfured. Some barrels began spontaneous malo-lactic fermentation whilst others did not. After a long maturation, the wine was then racked, stablised and bottled.
$168.00
Price per 6 pack
Out of stock
1 review for Caledonia Australis Chardonnay 2012
from the fertile soils of Leongatha, Gippsland Australia
admin –
Lisa Perrotti-Brown (eRobertParker.com #208) – 91 Points
Scented of peach kernels, ripe grapefruit and apple tart with an enticing buttered-toast undercurrent, the 2012 Chardonnay is light to medium-bodied and packs a lot of fruit flavor into its very drinkable weight. It has just enough oak influence, a lovely creamy texture and a long, refreshing finish. Drink it now to 2017+.
James Halliday Wine Companion/Top Cellaring Selections 2014 – 95 Points
Early picking has resulted in considerable concentration,
power and length, the flavours poised midway between stone fruit and citrus, oak allowing the battle between the two fruit strands to proceed unimpeded. In the end, neither yields, leaving the wine with a complex and imperious finish. 12.8% al
Patrick Eckel (winereviewer.com.au) – 95 Points
The 2012 Estate Chardonnay is a light straw yellow in colour,the nose gives aromatic peach skins and nectarine that’s backed by richer almond meal characters.
There is a citrus minerality that at the core of the wine giving elegance and focus and allows restrained but full stone fruits to give provide a textural counterpoint. Gentle wood spice makes itself known on the mid to back palate and is well integrated with sour edged nectarine and lemon pith acidity.
The wine has very good length to finish and will reward a decade in the cellar effortlessly.
WHEN TO DRINK
Optimal Drinking
2014 – 2026
Date Reviewed
09 07, 2014
GenXYWines (genxywines.com)
(GXY) Tasting: Dec 2014, succulent, slightly sweet barrel fermented style showing apple, honeydew melon, nectarine and pineapple, some creamy lees complexity, the toasty cashew-cinnamon-vanilla oak is a bit more overt this vintage, has very good persistence and finishes with bright lemony acidity (****)