Coates Adelaide Hills Chardonnay has been an ongoing staple of the range since 2009. This wine has always been a Reserve style with 15+ months oak ageing in a high proportion of new barrels. In 2015 we decided to make two Chardonnay styles; the traditional style which is now The Reserve Chardonnay, and The Chardonnay.

The Chardonnay is a single vineyard Adelaide Hills wine that sees a shorter maturation time in barrel (12 months), and lower percentage of new oak than The Reserve.  The fruit is taken in two hand picks to get a zesty note and taut acidity with the later picked grapes adding mid palate weight and depth. With two vintages in Burgundy, Duane’s winemaking is traditional French in outlook with The Chardonnay 2020 showing some leaning towards modernist Burgundy in style.

Winemaking

Our winemaking style is traditional with a gentle bag press of the grapes to yield the softest fruit characters. The Chardonnay was hand picked and gently pressed then the juice rested in tank to cold settle. The juice was natural yeast fermented with fine solids in new (30%) and second/third use (70%) barriques from the Seguin-Moreau, Dargaud & Jaegle, and Nadalie cooperages then aged on lees. Malo was allowed to proceed, and the wine was matured with minimal battonage. Bottled unfined and unfiltered in February 2020. The Chardonnay is a tight, structured style and will be best from 2020 and drinking well until 2030.

Technical Information

Alcohol – 13.0% by volume                     Residual sugar – <1.0 g/L

Total Acidity – 6.22 g/L                          Volatile Acidity – 0.71 g/L

pH – 3.27                                              Free Sulphur Dioxide – 78 mg/L Total; 28 mg/L

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