2003 Howard Park Chardonnay Tasting Notes

The 2003 growing season was unusually dry, with the lack of rain extending through to late March. The summer was also warm with several days in March reaching an uncharacteristic 40°C in the Great Southern. This combination resulted in an incredibly compact vintage with 99% of the whites harvested, at optimum ripeness, by the end of March. The lack of summer rain produced fruit that was also completely disease free.
Select batches of Chardonnay were fermented in 65% new and 35% one and two year-old French barriques. A small percentage of the barrels were lees stirred weekly, developing savoury yeast autolysis characters. The remaining barriques were sulphured, preventing the occurrence of malolactic fermentation, and thereby preserving their freshness and finer structure. The wine was blended in January 2004.

The 2003 Chardonnay combines cool-climate flavours with texture and complexity in a wine that is both delicate and subtle. The particularly careful attention paid to the wine has resulted in a brilliant, almost steely, pale straw appearance. The nose is an enticing combination of fine floral citrus with hints of peach. These aromas are supported by a richer savoury note from lees stirring, with hints of smoky, nutty barrel ferment characters providing background complexity. The wine has a seamless, refined palate with initial citrus and stone fruit flavours followed by a savoury, textural mid-palate and finishing with fine minerally grapefruit acidity and excellent French oak.

This wine will reward five years of careful cellaring.