Margrain Barrique Fermented Chardonnay 2022

Chardonnay is a very visceral yet rewarding wine to make. There is a very hands-on, almost biblical feel as we tend to the fermentation and elevation of each individual barrel during the making of this traditional kind of wine. There is the smell, the taste and the visual creaminess as the lees bloom up through the wine during the regularly stirring – “le bâtonnage”. There is also a certain romance in the knowledge that each barrel is subtly different and that each will contribute its unique attributes to the sum of the final blend.

Like the All-Seeing Eye of Sauron, the wine glows a warm yellow-gold from the very bottom of the glass. On the nose, breadth and breeding are evident with tailored layers of fruit and a rich honeycomb creaminess. Warm oatmeal porridge, sweetcorn fresh off the BBQ and crunchy buckwheat comfort like the endearing snuffles of a newborn baby. Green melon and white fleshed nectarine mingle with notes of jasmine and chamomile, conjuring up images of late summer days while aromas of panko breadcrumbs pan fried in olive oil, along with tangy hokey pokey get the senses rolling. Eleven months aging in mostly older oak has lent notes of fine shavings, as whittled from a wooden deity.

Like an older gentleman in an Armani suit, the outer shell is sleek and refined, with a smooth and elegant approach and the well-oiled patina of burnished oak from which the rough edges have long been spokeshaved.  Sweet peach, orange blossom and white jellybean show an inner beauty whilst an almond meal and polenta texture lends a velvet touch. Fleshy walnut, thinly sliced pancetta and sauteed cauliflower-rice work together with the soft acidity to produce a cheek-to-cheek voluptuousness. Like a glowing ember, the wine fades slowly, engendering a very simpatico finish.

Technical Information

Harvest Date               28 March 2022                        Residual Sugar            Nil

Brix at Harvest            21.9 – 22.2                              Bottling Date              22 Feb 2023

Final Alcohol              13.0 %                                     Release Date               1 Jul 2023

pH                               3.30                                         Cellaring                      2 – 6 years

Total Acid         5.4g/l

Bob Campbell says "Bright, tangy wine with lime zest, nectarine and white peach flavours together with nutty oak and yeast lees characters. High energy wine with assertive acidity that helps drive a lingering finish" 92/100