WINE: 2004 MONTALTO CHARDONNAY A long awaited release for Montalto, the 04 Montalto Chardonnay has again been rated 95/100 by James Halliday, following on from the 2002 and 2003 Chardonnays which also received this score. The ‘Indian’ summer of 2004 gave us a wonderfully long ripening season, and our Chardonnay again shows all the complexity, delicacy and poise expected from a Montalto release. A complex array of grapefruit, citrus and stone-fruit flavours mingle with the softness of oatmeal and toasty French oak textures, culminating in a lingering and rewarding finish. Vintage
The cooler conditions experienced early in summer ensured that our Chardonnay was seeking a warm autumn in which to continue its ripening. Autumn delivered perfect conditions, particularly for our north-facing Montalto block. The month prior to picking produced a string of warm sunny days ensuring another great vintage. Fermentation
After hand harvesting the fruit was whole bunch pressed to ensure gentle handling. A percentage of the free run juice from this pressing was directed straight to barrel for fermentation, where it also enjoyed regular stirring of lees to increase complexity. The remaining pressed juice was transferred to tank for cold settling. The component in tank was settled, racked, inoculated for fermentation and then transferred to barrel. Specialist Chardonnay barrels from the cooperage of Taransaud, Dargaud & Jaegle and Seguin Moreau were used. Approximately 50% of the blend was put though malolactic fermentation to help produce a softer, more rounded texture. After twelve months of maturation the two batches were blended and then bottled in March 2005. Cellaring
As a cool climate example of Chardonnay, its delicate and restrained nature will always ensure it’s readily approachable in its youth. However, if you have the patience, with another five years in the bottle, this wine will evolve to become softer, rounder with butterscotch, toffee and crème caramel characters your reward. Recommend 2-5 years. Technical Information
Ordering
To place an order for this wine, please download our wine order form. (PDF format - requires Acrobat Reader)
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