Giant Steps Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay 2021
$75.00 inc. GST
Accolades:
96/100 – Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
95+/100 – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
95/100 – James Halliday Wine Companion
“Sweet oak into white stonefruit, citrus and apple, grapefruit. Powerful from the outset. Hand picked, whole bunch pressed, full solids for all of the single vineyard releases. A bit of mlf for all of them too. This is in impeccable – not to mention incredible – shape. Controlled. Powerful. Tarraford should be the most rich, for site and aspect, but it’s so taut, almost salty in its savouriness. Cracking wine. The ‘loudest’ of the single vineyards in that it brings the flavour but simultaneously so very, very good. Drink 2023 – 2030+.” – Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
“The 2021 Tarraford Vineyard Chardonnay comes from the Tarraford Vineyard—it is the most northerly vineyard in the collection and is planted to the P58 clone, planted in the 1980s. The fruit was originally intended as sparkling base and was being sold to Chandon. The fruit now goes solely toward table wine Chardonnay, and in this case, we are able to see for potential in the glass than merely sparkling base. This is a south-facing vineyard in a warmer area in the Yarra, which brings an attractive combination of streamlined linearity and a fine, mineral, nutty, briney character. In the mouth, the wine cascades across the palate, leaving a trail of white flowers, pink grapefruit and the faintest sense of caper brine through the finish. Very cool. Drink 2022 – 2035.“ – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
“The warmest site of the 4 Giant Steps single-vineyard chardonnays, but planted on a south-facing slope in Tarrawarra. As with all of them, this was whole-bunch pressed and barrel fermented 15% new French puncheons). A fuller, bright, green gold. Quite restrained with aromas of stone fruits, oatmeal and a little wet rock. I like both the intensity and restraint on the palate and this may, paradoxically, need the longest of the 4 single-vineyard 2021 chardonnays to open up. Drink by 2028.” – Philip Rich, James Halliday Wine Companion
Vintage Note: 2021 was a terrific vintage for both vineyard quality and quantity. We had a wet spring followed by a healthy amount of sunshine and some well-timed rain in January, leading to large green healthy canopies. The overall temperature during the growing season was cooler than average which led to a long slow ripening period and great concentration of flavours and natural acidity.
Winemaking Notes: 100% hand picked – a spectacular year with every block and clone contributing to the final blend. Whole bunch pressed, juice transferred to barrel by gravity with no settling. Fermented in 500L French puncheons. A small amount of bâtonnage and 20% malolactic fermentation. Maturation for 10 months in new and used French oak – 20% new, 80% older, Taransaud, Mercurey and D&J.
Alcohol: 13.0%
Variety: Chardonnay
Region: Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia
In stock