Olive Grove Chardonnay by d’Arenberg

Olive Grove Chardonnay by d’Arenberg

Olive Grove Chardonnay ticks so many boxes. Richness and generosity of fruit from the McLaren Vale component. Think ripe yellow peach, quince and melons. The Adelaide Hills fruit offers up crisp Granny Smith apples and oyster shell notes whilst delivering finesse and length to the mouthfeel. Deftly handled French oak ties it all in together, adding texture and complexity along with subtle hints of spice, roasted nuts and brioche. The complete package, drinking well in youth but with the promise of more to come.

The wine’s name comes from the many olive trees around the vineyard. Since European settlement in the 1840’s, olive trees have thrived in McLaren Vale. They are alongside roads, in gardens and occasionally, in the middle of our Chardonnay vineyards blocking our harvester!

Small batches of grapes are gently crushed, chilled, and then basket pressed. To add complexity and mouthfeel the wine is fermented and matured in a mixture of French and American oak for seven months.

A healthy winter and plenty of spring rains set the vines up very well. Bud burst was on time, but very cool for the first part of spring. Shoots grew to 5 or 6 inches long and then stopped for a month. Flowering was quite late, by three weeks, which meant a late start to harvest, and long, slow ripening periods. The summer rains stopped in mid-January, so disease pressure was low. It was very dry from February to April, with only a few millimetres of rain. Days were mild with a lot of cool nights, the first few weeks of April was around two degrees hotter than usual, which help that last bits of fruit to ripen. Overall, a great vintage with minimal disease pressure and above average crop levels.

To see our full range of d’Arenberg product go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/darenberg/

For more information on the winery go to https://www.darenberg.com.au/