Description

Planted in stages across three decades, this Chardonnay comes from a mid-slope vineyard where clay-limestone soils meet a generous covering of small surface pebbles — a combination that encourages even drainage and steady vine stress. The oldest vines date to 1982, with further plantings added in 1985 and a more substantial replanting in 1998, giving the vineyard a mixed vine age of between 27 and 44 years. That range of maturity lends the wine a layered complexity that no single-vintage planting can replicate.

Rather than the traditional Burgundian barrique, the winemaker chose to age this wine in 500-litre barrels — twice the volume of the standard 225-litre format. With a total of eight barrels in use, the approach is deliberate: greater wood volume means less direct oak influence per litre of wine, allowing the fruit and terroir to carry the conversation rather than the cooperage.

The result is a Chardonnay of genuine site character — shaped by old vines, stony soils, and a restrained hand in the cellar.