Our sixteenth release of the Elderton Wines Estate Chardonnay brings together fruit from our Craneford vineyard together with a small patch of Chardonnay from a vineyard which neighbours our Mengler Hill vineyard, sitting at a similar altitude.
Our Eden Valley vineyard lies just south of the small township of Craneford, at an elevation of 420m. The soil and climate vary quite considerably from that of the Barossa Valley floor. It is generally wetter and cooler in the Eden Valley with soils tending to be skeletal and minerally.
Aspect also varies significantly, with rolling hills and valleys providing much site variation. The Chardonnay block sits at one of the highest points of the vineyard and is tended to by our own viticulturists, Peter Wild and Conrad Pohlinger, who ensure utmost care is taken in every step of the vine cycle.
Our neighbour, Paul Hampton, is custodian to the second patch of Chardonnay which has recently been returned to its own roots. It shows great promise, we are hopeful to keep working with this block for years to come.
Bottle Size: 750ml
Per Case: 12
Alcohol: 12.50%
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Winemaker Notes
It was a pleasure to have a little more Chardonnay in the winery this year. We harvested the two blocks a week apart, both in the cool of the morning. The fruit was gently pressed and settled. Post settling, we racked off, taking a decent proportion of light, fluffy lees.
This year, we wild fermented a portion of our Craneford fruit, which was transferred directly to oak post racking. The remainder of both parcels began their fermentation in a tank before being transferred to oak for the greater portion of fermentation, followed by some malolactic fermentation and extended time on lees with stirring as required.
This wine brings together the stonefruit line and depth from our Craneford site with lovely aromatics and freshness from our neighbour’s block.
– Jules Ashmead & Brock Harrison
