2020 Castelli Estate Il Liris Chardonnay
Varieties: 100% Chardonnay
Region: Denmark, Great Southern
Ageing Potential: Up to 20 years
Tasting Notes
Colour: Bright pale gold.
Aroma: Aromas of fresh apricot, honeysuckle and buttered toast.
Palate: The palate is a complex yet elegant combination of green apple, pithy lemon zest and more buttered toast and round marzipan notes.
Wine making:
Hand picked, chilled in the coolroom, whole bunch pressed straight to barrel without settling. Wild yeast fermented and partial spontaneous malo-lactic fermentation allowed to occur. 9 months in French oak barriques then blended on lees in stainless for a further 6 months prior to bottling.
Viticulture:
The 2020 was a very high-quality vintage, virtually every pick, throughout the entire region has been approximately 50 per cent down, with some varieties yield being down by 70 per cent. It really has caught all viticulturalists by surprise as by appearance the crops look generally on par with most other seasons. The real difference is in bunch and berry size - they are considerably small. On the upside of that - tiny berries equal lots of intensity and flavour. In sum, the 2020 fruit will make outstanding wines, but very little of them, making this vintage a very rare one.
