Colour: Bright pale yellow/straw with vibrant green hues Bouquet: Gorgeous, fragrant and attractive. Fruit aromas of lemon blossom, white peach, layered with nutty, smokey, vanillin oak. Touch of barrel ferment character and buttery notes from malolactic fermentation add interest Palate: The palate is zesty complex and long with loads of flavour Great fruit intensity, a creamy soft mouth feel, integrated oak and a fine tight acid structure all adds up to a extremely classy wine.

Wine maker notes

Gorgeous, fragrant and attractive. Fruit aromas of lemon blossom, white peach, layered with nutty, smokey, vanillin oak. Touch of barrel ferment character and buttery notes from malolactic fermentation add interest Palate: The palate is zesty complex and long with loads of flavour Great fruit intensity, a creamy soft mouth feel, integrated oak and a fine tight acid structure all adds up to a extremely classy wine

Technical notes

Prior to harvest, Chardonnay blocks destined for Jacobs Creek Reserve Chardonnay are visited regularly by winemakers. This is to ensure fruit that is showing intense, varietal flavours is harvested at optimum maturity. Once determined, the fruit is harvested in the cool of the night and pressed immediately upon arrival at the winery, minimising skin contact. This ensures maximum quality, and freshness of the juices. Individual juice parcels were then clarified and fermented at cool temperatures. A percentage of the chardonnay juices where either fully or partially fermented in a blend of new and used French oak barrels. We aim for approximately 60% barrel fermentation. A portion of the barrel and tank components underwent malolactic fermentation to increase the complexity and mouth feel of the final wine. Malolactic fermentation converts malic acid to lactic acid which imparts flavours and a soft creaminess to the wine. All components of the blend continued to mature on yeast lees with monthly stirring (battonage) of the oaked components to enhance the flavour and texture. Barrel emptying and blending occurred during December and January 2008. The aim as with all the Jacobs Creek Reserve range is to ensure that the fruit flavours so carefully isolated out in the vineyard be enhanced by moderated, controlled and judicious winemaking