Frankland Estate Chardonnay Isolation Ridge Vineyard 2012

This Chardonnay is a vivid golden straw color, with lifted cedar toast notes, complimented by grapefruit and lemon scents, with nutty hints underlying a restrained spice-y character. The front palate has a lively citrus zest, followed by lifted citrus, tangerine and stone fruit on the complex mid-palate, with creamy width. The acidity is racy and mouth-coating, giving the wine a lovely length and focus.

The organic fruit for this wine was sourced from three different locations in the Isolation Ridge vineyards at Frankland Estate. The vineyard was planted on undulating northern- and eastern-facing slopes and has duplex soils of ironstone gravel and loam over a clay sub-soil. The vines are all from the low-yielding Mendoza clone, renowned for its “hen and chicken” combination of large and small berries in the same bunch. The vine canopy is trained on a combination of vertical shoot and Scott Henry trellis to allow increased air circulation. Grapes are picked in the cool early morning, then lightly pressed into stainless steel tanks and allowed to settle for 24 hours. The juice is then racked into 500 liter French oak barrels for wild yeast fermentation. Some barrel stirring through fermentation and into post-fermentation occurred, resulting in a wine with complexity and individuality. The wine was transferred out of barrel after 9 months on lees before being bottled.

Isolation Ridge Chardonnay is ideally served slightly chilled with semi-soft cheeses and an array of light appetizers and main courses, especially those with chicken and other white meats, and dishes with creamy white sauces.