Sacred Hill Chardonnay 2011

Region
Riverina

Appearance
Pale straw with green hues.

Bouquet
Fresh pear and stone fruit, balanced with a hint of french oak.

Palate
Up front fruit sweetness is balanced by a crisp clean finish, the mid palate has a creamy weighted texture gained from lees stirring. 

Vintage Conditions
2011 was a very difficult vintage with some of the largest rainfalls recorded in a growing season. However, the summer ripening period was cooler because of this rainfall. This led to long ripening periods and great flavour and acid balance, rarely seen in the Riverina region.

Winemaking
Fruit classification was based on those vineyards showing flavour expression, characteristic of Sacred Hill quality. Healthy berries profiling melon, pineapple and stone fruit were ideal for this wine style. This wine was fermented cool over a two week period. Selected parcels were fermented with the inclusion of American and French oak staves. Once fermentation was complete wines were racked off gross lees and allowed to maturate on fine yeast lees to build structure.

Wine Analysis
Alc/Vol: 13.0%   pH: 3.37  TA: 6.7 g/L

Cellaring
This wine is made for immediate consumption however can be cellared for up to two years.

Suggested Cuisine
Try with pan fried tuna, or if you’re adventurous, Moreton Bay bugs with burnt butter sauce.

General Characteristics
Medium Dry     Medium Bodied