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The 2007 vintage was consistently warm and resulted in the earliest picking dates seen for Chardonnay at Woodlands.
The grapes for our ‘Chloe’ were picked on 20 and 23 February at Beame’s (potential alcohol) ranging from 12.7 to 13.0. Despite 2007 being very warm, the acid level of the fruit was excellent, with both batches having a pH of 3.27.
The fruit was hand picked very early in the morning and crushed into the press. Following limited skin contact the fruit was pressed into tanks for cold settling. After 5 days the wine was racked, with some solids included, into French barrels where it completed fermentation. 64% of the barrels used were new, 24% were one year old and 12% were two years old. Malolactic fermentation was not encouraged. Following fermentation, the wine was left on lees to enhance complexity. Our 2007 'Chloe' has spent a total of 12 months in French oak.
Our 2007 'Chloe' has a pale straw colour. The nose shows struck flint, stone fruits, and tight grained French oak. The palate is clean and intense with characters mirroring the nose. This wine has years ahead of it.
Last tasted September 2011.
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