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A drop-dead gorgeous follow-up to the 2018, the Terre Maritime is drawn from a few rows of Chardonnay sited in the top corner of Merricks Grove. Barney has always felt this parcel could result in a superb and unique Chardonnay—in this part of the vineyard, the 24-year-old vines are rooted in brown soils rather than the more common reddish dirt of the area. The parcel also faces slightly east, offering the vines a cooler, more sheltered aspect. There is therefore less vigour than in the rest of the vineyard, and the bunches are a touch smaller. As a result, the fruit from this parcel tends to make a wine that has real power and intensity without forgoing the finesse which we always associate with Barney’s wines.
This is just the third release of Terre Maritime and it has only strengthened Barney’s decision to keep this parcel separate. Raised in a single 500-litre François Frères puncheon, it’s a stunning Mornington Chardonnay with a great bouquet of fresh white peaches together with compelling notes of oyster shell and gunflint unfolding from the glass. The palate is intense, beautifully delineated and long. Without question, one of the most impressive (if not the best) Chardonnays we have seen from Garagiste. With only 55-odd cases to go around we can’t see it lasting long.