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NEW RELEASENGERINGA Chardonnay 2010
The fruit for NGERINGA Chardonnay comes from our east-facing Summit vineyard at 380m above sea level on a soil of sandy loam over clay. The top of the vineyard has views over Lake Alexandrina and the mouth of the Murray, which make themselves known on summer evenings with a strong cooling breeze despite daytime temperatures. The vines are planted at a density of 6800 vines/ha.
TASTING NOTES An enticing wine, the 2010 Chardonnay is notable for its focused, abundant warm aromas of flint, shortbread and cashews, giving way to blossoms and more exotic notes of kiwifruit and lime. On the palate the wine has a velvety feel with the lightest tang, reminiscent of a fresh, white cheese. Remarked by clean, grassy flavours of green tea and fresh peas, this gentle wine is indicative of its ideal growing season.
WINEMAKING NOTES For the first time we have used our 600L Nomblot Egg on the 2010 Chardonnay. The grapes were whole-bunch pressed and 40% of the juice was fermented in the concrete egg, while the balance was fermented in French oak. 25% of the final blend was matured in new D’Aquitaine French oak, 35% in older oak and 40% in the concrete egg. All natural acidity and fermentation, a little sulphur added only prior to bottling.
VINTAGE NOTES The 2010 growing season was a kinder one than previous with a wet, cool spring following a mild winter of average rainfall. A cool start to September however halted voracious growth and delayed budburst of the Rhone varietals. A thick harvest of hay was cut in early November thanks to the good spring rains. The onset of summer brought with it the usual heat spikes with the last this year being early February. The few weeks leading in to harvest were ideal, warm even days with cool nights typical of the Mt Barker Summit. The fruit ripened steadily and easily, and harvest began the last week of February. Of note for us was the absence of LBAM or weevil damage. The fruit across the vineyard was in excellent condition and was generous in quantity. It was a year for wines of gentle fragrance, politely spoken flavours and defined structure.
BEN THOMAS 8 Mar 11 NGERINGA Chardonnay 2009. 4 1/2 stars. A delightful wine - rich, complex, elegant & vibrant - and one I could drink a lot of. The pleasure starts with complex aromas of white peach, melon, minerals & nuts, before rich flavours of white stone fruits, lemon, slate & a hint of honey fill the mouth. It has a sumptuous, creamy texture but is light on its feet, with zippy acidity keeping things fresh. The enjoyment ends with a long, clean finish.
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