Wirra Wirra 'The 12th Man' Chardonnay Single Bottle
Country: Australia Region: Mc Laren Vale
Varietal: Chardonnay Vintage: 2023
Colour: White Style: Dry
Producer: wIRRA wIRRA
Description:
Wirra Wirra’s late founder Greg Trott, saw the game of cricket as the most noble of pursuits. As a youth, he even built his own concrete pitch at the family farm to emulate his heroes. Trott envisaged wearing the famous baggy green cap of the Australian team – if only to carry the drinks as the 12th man. And if the drinks tray sported our Adelaide Hills Chardonnay, Trott would have been warmly welcomed at any cricket fixture.
Aromas of lemon curd and white nectarine with hints of ginger and white florals. Glossy, creamy texture, crispy acidity, flavours of tarte tatin, roasted cashews and spices.
Handpicked grapes were whole bunch pressed and the free run juice is filled to French oak barrels for spontaneous, wild fermentation. Upon completion of primary fermentation, all barrels were tasted weekly to monitor the increasing complexity and malolactic activity as lees stirring is introduced. Over eight months in oak, the majority of barrels remain unsulfured on lees; however some were sulphured at various stages through maturation to capture natural acidity and fruit brightness.
Fermented and matured in French oak for eight months, the majority in 500L puncheons with 22% of barrels being their first use.
Adelaide Hills Chardonnay has made five appearances in the Decanter Awards Best in Show selection, one more than Western Australia’s Margaret River has notched up; these are clearly landmark regions not just in national but also global terms for Chardonnay-lovers. The struck-match note so prized in Australia is apparent here -- but subtly so; look out for a sweetly leafy charm, too, and a soft creaminess from finely judged barrel-fermentation. It hasn’t had long in bottle yet, so its aromatic harmony and seamlessness was another factor in seducing our panels. You could call it mouthfilling in terms of texture and flavour expression but relatively delicate and light on its feet, by contrast, in terms of weight and alcohol charge. These vineyards are indeed ‘up in the Hills’, remember, where ripeness is neither assured nor rapid. The wine’s grain and finesse reflect a full season on the vine – and its producer’s careful harvesting and handling techniques.
