Eloquesta A Boy With Fruit Chardonnay 2016

I believe in employing traditional, hands-on methods to achieve this more natural, softer, riper, fruit driven style of wine that lets the fruit and perfumes lead the way during and after fermentation. I also believe in learning lessons from the old, even ancient ways of doing things.

I rely on the best grape varieties and fruit quality that I can and that are suited to the best locations with the best weather patterns in NSW. I don't try to bend nature; I let her do her thing, but read the signs and watch the lunar phases and cycles. I rely on my instincts, what I see, hear and feel and I don't employ any more technology or machinery than is necessary.

I treat the fruit differently every year according to the conditions given me but my method is gentle and soft ‚– like my wines ‚– I only want to extract as much as will extract gently, never forcing it ‚– allowing balance and harmony to come easier through to my wines. My fermentations are eighteen to twenty one days, cool whole-bunch commencing with foot-treading daily for one week to sometimes two weeks. This is followed by persistent hand-plunging then gentle basket-pressing at the end. The fermentation is allowed to finish on lees in oak barrels after settling first in tank for a day. All wines are then cold aged (12-18 months) in a mixture of new and old French, Russian and Hungarian Oak to create the two signature varieties in Eloquesta.

- Winery Note