2022 Charteris Hunter Chardonnay - Magnum
Pale to mid golden yellow with a green fleck. A confluence of ripe grapefruit, fresh quince and feijoa give way to brown lime and underlying green melon fruit aromas with a layer of hazelnut and French nougat. There is a hint of Oyster shell and subtle funky complexity with some brioche and delicate floral notes adding depth. Plush and textured entry with toasty citrus, sourdough crust and a subtle limey tang. The palate builds with a creamy texture while maintaining a vibrant acid line giving a long and focused profile. The oak influence is very subtext, and the expression is more barrel and lees over oak. Just a hint of cream brulee adding length to the acid and fruit power, this wine will evolve nicely over the next 2 to 4 years.
In Stock
Wine Specs
Vintage
2022
Varietal
Chardonnay
Appellation
Pokolbin
Harvest Date
27/1/21
pH
3.11
Bottling Date
19/7/21
Alcohol %
13
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Pale lemon yellow with a green fleck
Lemons and lemongrass with Kaffir Lime leaf, a hint of lavender, white florals bath salts and Lemon sorbet - dehydrated and sprinkled as dust in the glass. A hint of rock melon and green papaya too adding depth and volume to the aroma
Gentle entry with subtle lemon giving way to finger lime and Botanical complexity, a hint of the Gin and Tonics about this wine.
There is silky smooth acidity which gives just the right glide to the texture while maintaining length and vitality. The finish is endearing with a hint of juicy grapefruit, underlying passionfruit and a salty mineral pinch for a clean refined exit. Long and salivating.
Pretty sumptuous drinking now for Hunter Semillon, but there is a race to run for this wine, the next 5 years will be just the beginning.
Vineyard Notes
The 2021 vintage was the first after a substantial 4-year drought and the devastating Black Summer bushfires of the 19/20 summer. Those fires were doused by solid rainfall throughout February and March 2020. However, it was the July and October 2020 rains that set up the 21 harvest. We were well in the grips of a strong La Nina weather pattern with the soil profile near capacity and dams starting to fill when 170mm of Rain in December really got the heart rate up. The cooler temperatures of the growing season combined with the precipitation created some intense mildew conditions with a couple of perfect Downy Mildew outbreaks as well as some rarely seen Powdery mildew.
Harvest started, at a more traditional time than the norm of the last 10 years, in the third week of January and it was one for the vignerons with their eye on the vines. Well managed crop levels and open, carefully tended canopies were the order of the day. It will be a while before we have the full canvas of the vintage but overall Semillon and Chardonnay look strong with flavour and balanced acidity, while Shiraz will be one to watch with the best managed vineyards delivering some classic medium bodied Hunter River Burgundy style wines.
Food Pairing Notes
Tempura Prawns or Flathead Tacos