SINGLE VINEYARD ‘THE ELEVEN’ CHARDONNAY 2017 “Pale straw with green hues, the 2017 Montalto ‘The Eleven’ Chardonnay offers lemon and lime sherbet, tangerine and grapefruit combined with floral and mineral notes by way of slate and flint. White florals fuse with crème brulee and brioche aromas. There is subtle oak influence by way of roasted hazelnuts with hints of struck match. Purity and tension are the hallmark qualities of the 2017 ‘The Eleven’ Chardonnay. The palate has a tight, fresh citrus focus balanced with white-flesh stone fruits and lovely slate and flint nuances. There is remarkable drive here and a long and focused palate. Creamy mouthfeel from both oak handling and lees influence adds richness and texture.” Simon Black, Winemaker
CELLARING POTENTIAL:
History tells us that the Montalto ‘The Eleven’ Chardonnay has a strong pedigree for cellaring. This vintage is no exception and with correct cellaring will age beautifully for 10+ years. The 2017 vintage was a genuinely great year on the Mornington Peninsula. Our two Chardonnay releases show great detail and will be long living wines that will reward careful cellaring.
VINTAGE:
1 TROPHY 3 GOLD
Chardonnay Provenance Trophy 2018 MPVA Wine Show Gold Medal 2018 MPVA Wine Show Gold Medal 2018 Royal Melbourne Wine Show Gold Medal 2018 Winewise Small Vigneron Awards Alcohol: 13.0%, TA: 6.53g/L pH: 3.25pH, RS g/l: <1 g/L Harvest Date: 15/03/17
The season began ideally with mild spring conditions, with good, and even shoot growth leading into the key period of November flowering. November was cooler than usual and this led to significant ‘hen and chicken’ and overall smaller bunch and berry size. Over our critical ripening period, late January through to the end of February, we were blessed with mild temperatures and cooling sea breezes. These cool and dry conditions meant a protracted ripening, with an ideal result of an extended harvest period between the warmest and the coolest sites across the Peninsula. Extended harvests between our different subregions show the unique characters of these sites and further reinforces our single vineyard goals – to produce wines that are a true reflection of the expression of each site. This combination of small crops and a long, slow ripening has resulted in wines with finesse and power.
VINEYARD:
Harvested from eleven rows of P58 Chardonnay planted in 1986 on our north-facing slope at our home vineyard site in Red Hill South, ‘The Eleven’ Chardonnay is by any measure a stand-out wine. The northerly aspect offers protection from the cool southerlies and plenty of sunshine during ripening. This is a special site where old, dry-grown chardonnay vines deliver wonderful depth of flavour.
WINEMAKING:
The grapes are typically harvested between 11.5 and 12.0 Baumé and at this sugar level consistently deliver a collage of citrus flavours combined with mineral and floral notes and bright acidity. The fruit was whole bunch pressed with minimal settling and transferred directly to French oak barriques (27% new). There is no sulphur addition prior to blending. Following wild fermentation and natural malolactic fermentation, the wine is left to mature on lees which are stirred when appropriate following appraisal. Yeast lees collected from previous vintages are added back to some barrels to enhance flavour and texture. The wine is aged for 11 months in oak prior to blending, filtration and bottling.
Bottled: 12/02/18
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