Nose
On the nose the oak has a subtle play between aromas of freshly cut melon, brioche and baker’s dough.
Palate
On the palate this wine delivers an elegant balance with layers of tropical fruits, white jasmine flowers, pear and talc. Keeping up with tradition at Swanson, stylistically it is more Chablis than Côte d’Or.
Growing Conditions
A near perfect growing season in 2016 ensured that our harvest was of extremely high quality. Benefiting from early bud break and plenty of spring rain, we saw early growth of the young canopy. As the temperatures started to rise and the rain events became less frequent, the vines flowered, moving into bloom with optimum conditions; helping promote a successful and abundant fruit set. The drought conditions of the previous years were starting to recede as we maintained a full soil moisture profile for much of the early growing season in all our vineyards. As we moved into veraison - the period where the small green berries start to develop color, gain sugar and loose their acidity - we began to see the true potential that 2016 was offering. It was fortunate that the rains held off until mid-October, as we were able to harvest our vineyards at precisely the right time, optimizing fruit flavor intensity whilst retaining the natural bright balanced acidity of the grape.
Winemaking
Essential to all good chardonnay is a backbone of acidity which we achieved by picking early and not allowing our Chardonnay to go through Malolactic fermentation. This allows us to craft a wine which is crisp, clean, and refreshing while at the same time delivering more tropical fruit flavors such a guava, Asian pear and melon.
Aging
8% new French oak. 9 months.
