Wakefield Jaraman Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills / Clare Valley

Description

Wakefield Jaraman Chardonnay is a blend of grapes from the Adelaide Hills and the Clare Valley. An unusual fusion of resulting in an intensely flavoured, complex yet elegant wine with distinct citrus, white peach & nectarine characters along with a subtle flinty note.

Wakefield Wines are located in the heart of the Clare Valley and was founded by wine merchant Bill Taylor Senior in 1969 with the purchase of 178 hectares of vineyards near the Wakefield River in Auburn. Wakefield Wines are still known under their original name of Taylor’s Wines in Australia. The Jaraman Range is a relatively unusual multi-region blend.

The Clare Valley fruit for the Wakefield Jaraman Chardonnay comes from the Victoria block on the Taylor’s family estate whilst the Adelaide Hills fruit is sourced in Woodside. The vines have an average of 20 to 40 years old.

All parcels are harvested in the cool early morning to ensure the grapes retain fresh varietal characteristics and the grapes undergo a gently whole berry press in a refrigerated Pera press. All of the free-run juice was fermented in tight grained French oak barrels. 60% of the barrels were new, 20% 2nd use and the remainder 3rd use so as to give great structure while retaining the vibrant fruit. Half of the parcels were wild fermented with the remaining half fermented using a texture building strain of yeast that is low foaming and designed for barrel ferments. After fermentation, battonage, otherwise known as yeast lees stirring, was employed to add a creamy texture to the palate. After maturation of 8 months in barrel, the wine was blended on the bench from both regional parcels to a specific taste profile and minimal fining and filtration was employed before final bottling.

The fruit source is 51% Clare Valley and 49% Adelaide Hills.