Animale Chardonnay 2023

This year’s Animale Chardonnay was grown entirely on the Yarra Station vineyard in the Lower Yarra Valley. The fruit was picked by hand on 16th March from P58 clone vines sitting on ironstone and clay loam soils, facing west on a steep slope. The fruit was pressed immediately to tank, settling for 12 hours before being lightly racked to old French barriques and hogsheads. Spontaneous fermentation occurred over three weeks, and there was no malolactic conversion as the acids were spot on. The wine matured in wood with occasional stirring before being bottled without fining or filtration.