Kelly Washington Rapaura Marlborough Chardonnay 2020

Kelly Washington Rapaura Marlborough Chardonnay 2020French oak White peach & melon Ginger & toasted nut Flinty finish "The seamless, weighty 2020 Chardonnay has a sense of roundness but provides a counterpoint with its clarity and fine, mouthwatering line. Hailing from vines on clay, which are more than a quarter of a century old, and fermented in puncheons, it offers richness, savory notes and sweet vanilla alongside nectarine fruit. A well balanced and satisfying Chardonnay that thankfully relies not

• French oak
• White peach & melon
• Ginger & toasted nut
• Flinty finish

"The seamless, weighty 2020 Chardonnay has a sense of roundness but provides a counterpoint with its clarity and fine, mouthwatering line. Hailing from vines on clay, which are more than a quarter of a century old, and fermented in puncheons, it offers richness, savory notes and sweet vanilla alongside nectarine fruit. A well-balanced and satisfying Chardonnay that thankfully relies not on reduction but on fruit and subtle oak influence for its character" Rebecca Gibb, Master of Wine, Mar 2022

"From an organically-farmed vineyard with 26-year-old vines. Robust, weighty Chardonnay with citrus, grapefruit, green apple, ginger, struck-flint and toasted-nut flavours. A crisp, dry wine" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Sep 2021

A refined style of Chardonnay. Delicate notes of white peach, melon and citrus are at the forefront, supported by savoury, toasty, nutty notes which are promoted by a mindful selection of French oak. Wholly complete yet with great aging potential, the KW Chardonnay brings together poise and elegance, and is defined by long, flinty finish.

For Vintage 2020 at Kelly Washington, the focus was placed even more so on producing very small volumes of wine from extraordinary fruit. This was a blessing, given the added pressures the Covid-19 presented right before harvest commenced. Another blessing was the naturally low yields that eventuated, and also Mother Nature waving her sunshine wand in our direction. Descriptors such as purity, vibrancy, vitality, intensity summarised all of the fruit that we harvested, which was supported by extremely settled and warm conditions over flowering and then in the lead up to harvest commencing.

100% Whole bunch pressed, minimal settling. Commenced fermentation naturally after 6 days, on full lees. Wholly native yeast. Four French oak barriques, one new, two 3rd fill and one neutral. After fermentation the wine remained on full lees in the French oak barriques for 10 months. It was then racked and returned to two 3rd fill French oak puncheons for a further 4 months.