Meadowbank Chardonnay

Meadowbank’s Chardonnay comes off the property’s oldest vines, which are P58 clone and now well into their thirties. Peter Dredge describes the vineyard as a “beautiful little spot”, with loose sand and sandstone, overlaying dark brown coffee rock, rich in iron oxides. The fruit was picked over two passes; the earlier pick was at 11.5% while the second pick was at 12.5%, ensuring sufficient acidity was captured to balance the ripe-leaning nature of the clone. The fruit was whole-bunch pressed directly to puncheons (close to 20% new) for fermentation and partial malo (approx. 33%). The wine matured in wood on lees for nine months before it was bottled without fining or filtration.

It’s a classy and refined release, flush with fleshy white fruit, salinity and a lovely impression of roasted nuts from the 100% barrel vinification. Then you get chalky tension throughout—flickering freshness, a nip of phenolics and mouth-watering, rocky texture—balanced by waves of silky flavour and a long, focussed finish. It’s a dazzling release that will begin to hit its straps in six months.