L.A.S. VINO wildberry springs chardonnay

Vineyard:
 
Sitting in the heart of Willyabrup, growing on rich gravelly loam soils, this 25 year old vineyard is imaculate, with no vines out of place, its almost perfect. It took a few years of begging to be able to pick fruit from this vineyard.  Planted by John Durack, who’s family were the first to bring cattle over the top end into the kimberly. This is the fourth year we have made wine from this incredible site.  The majority of this wine is made from gin-gin with a small percentage of clone three and five for complexity.
 
Winemaking:
 
Hand picked first thing in the morning, chilled overnight, whole bunch pressed and naturally fermented in oak. The primary fermentation took over 9 months to complete and was still ticking away in November. A natural malo occured during this time as well. We stirred the lees fortnightly, but due to the extended fermentation this wine was in a constant flux. Bringing energy, texture and weight to a wine which in previous years has been known by its purity and tension. 8 Barrels of this wine were fermented and matured in 1-2 year old French oak.  In addition to this we used a singular new stockinger austrian oak barrique and a singular new Damy allier barrique.  
 
The wine:
 
Personnaly I have never had a fermentation last for longer than 6 weeks, let alone 9 months.  To be honest we still have 2 barrels of this wine fermenting away in the cellar, and as I write we are about to pick this years fruit.This gentle extended natural fermenation has provided the wine with a lot of energy, power and flux. Its rich, full and complex, with the solids providing a hint of flint and struck match. This will be the last year the fruit from this vineyard will be fermented in