‘Styx Gully’ Chardonnay

The 2020 vintage was the earliest on record; the fine dry spring and warm dry summer meant harvest started about two weeks earlier than usual with everything coming in early and quickly! Our Styx Gully is 100% Mt Barker grown; all the fruit is from our best blocks of Chardonnay from our Langton vineyard. Some parcels were handpicked and whole bunch pressed; the balance of the fruit picked at night with low overnight temperatures and processed promptly at the winery. Our Styx is all barrel fermented (40% new) with no malolactic fermentation; the result being a complex, but still fruit driven, style of Chardonnay.

COLOUR

Bright, light gold/pale straw.

AROMA

Quite complex on the nose with gorgeous, creamy cashew nut characters, some subtle rockmelon and fresh baked peach pie aromas.

PALATE

This is a very subtle but beautifully flavoured Chardonnay that has the most wonderful mouthfeel. There’s a real silkiness on the palate with those subtle peachy fruit flavours, complexed by the French oak and all pulled together by the lovely fresh acidity. The lees contact post fermentation has contributed to its mouthfeel and the oak has contributed also, but in a very understated way. It is textural and delicate and its clean acidity, the hallmark of cool climate fruit, gives its good length of flavour and lightly drying finish. With its light melon fruit flavours and subtle crème brulee characters, the 2020 Styx Gully is delightful drinking now and will continue to improve with further bottle age.