Our wine.

2022 was a great vintage and proved once again that even years are great vintages in the West! Things took a while to kick off with a cool, wintery spring and significant rainfall in October delayed the onset of budburst and flowering in the vineyards. Flowering and fruit sets were on the lighter side resulting in slightly lower yields dues to the spring conditions over the growing season. Summer was influenced by another La Niña season – beautifully dry, warm, sunny days right through December, January and February which lessened the disease pressure that was experienced with the wet and humid conditions of 2021. Veraison was delayed by around a month, but the consistent heat saw a rapid ripening period in the whites, and the dry weather allowed for predictable ripening patterns across most varieties which made for a very organised and well-planned vintage.

Bird pressure was also low this vintage with perfectly timed Marri blossom which provided enough of a distraction to keep the Silvereyes busy. The only significant challenge in the vineyard was the scorching heat wave over Christmas resulting in sunburn on some exposed white bunches which again lowered the crop. Yields were also lower than expected, influenced by the very dry conditions – especially for the dry-grown vineyards which took a hit with lower bunch weights and smaller berries.

The Chenin Blanc fruit was sourced from a single vineyard in the Treeton subregion of Margaret River and was selectively harvested in the early hours on March 7.

On a whole, wines from the 2022 vintage will be characterised by intense aromatics, plush concentrated fruit, great structure and depth of flavour driven by good natural acidity. Even with the warmer conditions, the delicacy and elegance were not compromised. A stunningly epic vintage.

The 2022 Chenin Blanc fruit was gently crushed and destemmed and cooled on skins for 8 hours before being pressed to tank and allowed to settle and cool for 24 hours and then transferred to 2 and 3 year old French oak barriques for fermentation and maturation. The barrels were frequently stirred during ferment, and less frequently during maturation. Malolactic fermentation was cut off in barrels based on taste. Maturation was in barrel, on full lees for a period of 11 months before being lightly fined, filtered and bottled.

In a glass this wine is pale straw coloured with a chartreuse green hue. On the nose the wine is dominated by citrus and quince aromatics. The palate presents as a flinty, minerally style with gentle textural charm and a zesty acidity on a rounded finish.