Lambert Chardonnay Yarra Valley 2023 750ml

ABOUT The 2023 vintage is the second vintage that the fruit for this wine has come from the Denton View Hill vineyard rather than the Tibooburra Vineyard. Luke consults as the head winemaker at Denton, and his Syrah and Nebbiolo both come from this vineyard as well. The granite soils of the Denton Vineyard are most evident in the Chardonnay wines. This unique micro-climate and soil profile contribute lots of freshness and mineral florals, framed by fine acidity. The 2023 vintage was very much a La Nina year with a cooler and wetter spring and summer. For Luke, these are the preferred years for Chardonnay as the resulting wines are always more elegant and varietal. The improved farming practices at Denton Vineyard continue to build soil health and concentration and complexity in the wines. The fruit was handpicked in the early morning hours and whole-bunch pressed with full solids to stainless steel tanks for alcoholic and malolactic fermentation to occur without any additions. It remained there for three weeks, and then was then sent to 15-50hL old French foudre for aging. Luke loves to bring texture to Chardonnay and given the often high acidity it is welcomed. He will stir the lees 3-4 times a day for two months and then drop it to daily battonage over the next two months. After eight months of aging the barrels were racked to tank and left to settle naturally. The wine was bottled with a small addition of sulfur and without fining or filtration. DATA Grapes: 100% Chardonnay Vineyard: Denton View Hill Vine Age: 19-years-old Soil Type: Granitic sand over granite rock Viticulture: Practicing Organic Fermentation: Native –stainless steel (100% whole-bunch pressed) Skin Contact: None Aging: 8 months in 30+-year-old 15-50hL French foudre Alcohol: 12.5% pH: 3.33 Total Acidity: 6.3 g/L Total SO2: 80 ppm Total Production: 500 cases TASTING NOTE The granite soils of the Denton Vineyard are most evident in the Chardonnay wines. Flint, talc, river stone, jasmine and citrus. Minerality is coupled with the gentle stone fruit and cut hay characters of Chardonnay. This unique micro-climate and soil profile contribute lots of freshness and mineral florals, framed by fine acidity. PRESS Vinous | 92 The Wine Front | 95