Eastern Peake Intrinsic Chardonnay 2021

Nestled atop a plateau at 430m altitude lies a chardonnay block with volcanic grey loam soils atop weathered basalt, planted back in 1991 using the I10V5 clone. This vineyard is tended organically, and the 2021 season was relatively stress-free from a viticultural standpoint. However, the yield for 2021 was limited, owing to extensive retraining of mature vines affected by eutypa in recent years. Though it's a lengthy recovery, it promises future benefits. A promising step forward is the upcoming planting of 6000 chardonnay vines of the B76 clone, scheduled for this September/October, which stirs our anticipation.

On 2/04/2021, the harvest was whole bunch pressed, then naturally fermented in 300L hogs heads and 228L barriques. The wine's élevage sees no racking, preserving the lees undisturbed. It remains on these full lees, untouched, always undergoing a complete natural malolactic fermentation between September and November. After introducing a minimal amount of sulphur post-malo, it's transferred to a stainless steel tank on 3/4/2022 without fining or filtering. Come 11/10/2022, it's bottled with a slight addition of sulphur after malo and before sealing. This bottle stands as a quintessential representation of Eastern Peake Chardonnay.