A Study in Chardonnay

Chardonnay is very well suited to the cool climate of Western Australia’s Great Southern wine region as the chardonnay fruit tends to ripen slowly, developing complex flavours while also retaining an elegant natural acidity which provides for a lovely balance between richness and vibrancy.

The fruit was picked in pristine conditions early morning in late-February 2024. When the fruit arrived at the winery it was gently destemmed and pressed, the juice transferred directly into Burgundian barriques and temperature controlled to ensure a slow fermentation process. Natural (wild) yeasts and indigenous yeasts were introduced to different barrels, giving rise to the development of complex flavours and textural weight.

At the end of the fermentation process, the lees were stirred gently weekly until the desired balance between oak, lees complexity and fruit character was achieved. A small amount of malolactic fermentation was carried out with most of the fruit’s natural acidity preserved.   

Chardonnay is very well suited to the cool climate environment of the Great Southern wine region. The chardonnay vineyards in this part of Western Australia tend to ripen very slowly, due to the cooler climate, and develop complex flavours while also retaining an elegant natural acidity. The combination of all these elements provide for a lovely balance between richness and vibrancy.

The 2025 season offered consistent temperatures and very little rain, resulting in the chardonnay fruit displaying strong varietal character and great concentration of flavours.

The fruit was harvested in three separate parcels on 26 February, 5 March and 11 March. In each instance, the parcel of fruit was chilled overnight and then fermented in Burgundian oak barriques (approximately 25% new and 75% aged). The chardonnay barrels were lees stirred weekly for the first four months and then left to settle in barrel for a further two months before being prepared for bottling in October 2025.

The wines in our Family Reserve Collection reflect a deep respect for the Great Southern and its terroir. They are rooted in the character and calibre of the Singlefile vineyard, over which we assumed custodianship in 2007, marking the beginning of our family winery. From the outset, the site revealed a natural balance of flavour intensity and acidity, shaping fruit selection, picking and winemaking decisions — an approach that remains largely unchanged after eighteen vintages. Slow, even ripening underpins the wine’s structure, with the careful layering of small, complementary parcels of Great Southern fruit adding subtle complexity. Considered winemaking ensures a refined balance between generosity and finesse.

The 2025 fruit, harvested on 22 March, was chilled overnight, then whole bunch pressed and fermented with a third of the juice going to new oak, and the remainder to one year old French oak barriques from the Marsannay, Tonnellerie Quintessence, Louis Latour and D&J cooperages. The wine spent eight months in oak with a partial malolactic fermentation to develop mouth feel and richness. Lees stirring (bâtonnage) occurred at weekly intervals during the first five months in barrel. The wine was rested prior to bottling, then given additional time in bottle to allow for further integration before release.

Every few years, when we find the right parcel of chardonnay fruit, we return to this a much-loved style for further exploration. For this ‘Old School’ Chardonnay, we had a parcel of fruit with beautiful intensity of flavour as well as the desirable acid profile which allowed the fruit to ripen on the vine a little longer than usual.

Harvested in March 2025 at optimal flavour for a richer-styled, textural chardonnay, the fruit was picked and chilled overnight. The juice was pressed directly into new 225L Burgundian oak barriques on full solids, for wild fermentation. Malolactic fermentation initiated in the barrels with the lees stirred weekly for five months before final barrel selection and preparation for bottling in early February 2026. After bottling, the wine will be held back for approximately nine months before release to allow the flavours to develop and integrate further.

Our aim is to create a style which captures the texture, generosity and viscosity of an ‘old school’ chardonnay, while carefully balancing this with cool-climate natural acidity to ensure the wine still finishes light and clean.

As a recognised chardonnay and pinot noir wine region, it felt approporiate to explore the viticulture and winemaking process for producing premium sparkling wine with a small parcel of fruit. The natural acidity and flavour profile of both chardonnay and pinot noir from the cooler vineyard sites are very well suited to the production of premium sparkling wine.

Our sparkling wine is made Méthode Traditionnelle, where the secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle, making each bottle unique. This approach respects the historic traditions of champagne production.

This sparkling wine is a blend of seven vintages of chardonnay and pinot noir, from 2015 to 2021. The final varietal composition is 84% chardonnay and 16% pinot noir. Following secondary fermentation, the wine was rested on its lees for over four years, with the aim to add layers of sophistication and complexity to this pristine and expressive wine style.