Forest Hill Vineyard: 'Block 8' Chardonnay 2021
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"This is routinely a – if not the – greatest chardonnay in the Great Southern region. It is sensational. The high acid is folded into layers of voluminous citrus and stone fruit, and the crushed curry-leaf character is pleasingly pervasive throughout all of the Forest Hill chardonnays. It manages lean and taut, concentrated and savoury, although it may need a year or two for the acid to settle into the fruit succinctly. Superb."
Erin Larkin, The Wine Companion.
Green apple and buttery tarte au citron on the nose with fresh acidity, silky texture and a bright flinty minerality. On the palate, a tiny yeasty note and citrus highlight move to juicy stone fruit and a saline edge with a finish that lingers.
First bottled under the ‘Block’ label in 2005, this small-production Chardonnay is sourced from a parcel dry grown, old vine fruit planted in 1985. Vines are planted on gravel loam soils with an underlying clay base (crucial to non-irrigated vines) force vine roots deep in search of water. This keeps yields low, giving smaller berries and more concentrated, intense flavours that are pruned and harvested by hand. With the influence of the Southern Ocean just to the south with winds coming from the Antarctic, this is an elegant cool climate Riesling from a single site in the Mount Barker region of Great Southern, south of Perth in Western Australia.
| Style | White Wine, Sec, Medium-bodied, Non Sparkling |
|---|---|
| Wine Region | Australia, Western Australia |
| Grape Variety (Cépage) | Chardonnay |
| Viticulture | Non-Organic |
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Cellarage | Approachable in its youth, will continue to mature and develop complexity for 5 to 7+ years after vintage. |
| Vinification | Wild-fermented in French oak of various sizes for 9+ months. |
| Alcohol By Volume (%) | 13 |
Forest Hill Vineyard
First planted in the late 1960s, Forest Hill Vineyard (located in Mount Barker within the Great Southern region of Western Australia) was bought by the Lyons family in 1996. Today, the 95 hectare estate is headed up by Guy Lyons, and is an accredited James Halliday 5 Star winery. The vineyards produce elegant wines of the highest calibre from a wide variety of plantings - Riesling, Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Gewürztraminer.
The Lyons family manage Forest Hill Vineyard to ensure soil health, with minimal inputs and sustainable practices. This includes grazing stock and composting of grape material post fermentation.
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