2023 Brooks Chardonnay
“Chardonnay, a Margaret River staple; This Chardonnay invites you to explore Cape Mentelle’s unique interpretation through sites, clones and the nuances of seasonal variation.”
This Chardonnay reflects Chapman Brook and Crossroads, our two southern Margaret River vineyards. The cooler climate captures the freshness and vibrancy of the variety and, when combined with a subtle oak influence and juicy natural acidity, produces an appealing fruit-driven style with great richness and balance.
Nose
A tropical nose of yellow peaches, melon and mandarin, with a pretty frangipani and honeysuckle element luring you in.
Palate
Generous fruit intensity on the flowing palate, rich with rock melon, pistachio, lemon curd and orange blossom, lifting with a zesty, crisp acidity. A savoury edge brings tension and the fine, chalky texture adds focus to the length.
Blend
96% chardonnay, 4% semillon
Cellaring
Delicious now, this wine will continue to build in complexity for six years plus.
Food Pairing Notes
Crunchy watercress salad with apple, pear and slivered almond.
Siu Mai -steamed pork and prawn dumplings.
Natural fresh oysters.
The Vineyard
Our two Chardonnay sites differ greatly in terms of soil profile, aspect and coastal influence. These conditions result in a variation of fruit profile which highlights the vineyard site, our region, and the seasonal conditions each year. Our focus is to ensure good canopy growth while allowing air flow and sunlight in, which encourages good fruit set in early summer. The 2023 season started with a mild spring and lead into a dry and calm summer. Grapevine ripening continued steadily throughout harvest which commenced mid-February.
Winemaking
Following gentle pressing the juices were transferred to Burgundian oak or stainless-steel tanks. Wild fermentation was encouraged in barrel, while selected yeasts were used in the fermenters. Once dryness was reached the stirring program was tailored to individual batches, aiming to reach a balance between generosity of texture and vibrant fruit flavour. Each wine was matured on fine lees for eight months, with 11% of the barriques used being new. The final lots were blended in November 2023, filtered lightly and bottled.
Analysis
13% alcohol, 8.2 g/l total acidity, 3.25 pH
