2022 Pfeiffer Chardonnay

$25.00

A finely structured Chardonnay with a creamy texture, well integrated oak and good length.

Availability

Available

Vintage

2022

Seal

A screw cap has been used on our 2022 Chardonnay to maximise its flavour and freshness, and to eliminate the chances of cork taint.

Cellar

Enjoy now and until 2032

Vegan Friendly

YES

Yeast

Wild yeasts which form naturally on the grapes in the vineyard.
LA Excellence TXL – a strain targeted for barrel fermented styles under-going extended lees ageing.

Allergens

Contains Sulphites

Technical Details

Res. Sugar .65 g/L
pH 3.16
TA 6.31 g/L
Alcohol 13.1 % v/v

Not Shown Yet

TOP GOLD: Rutherglen Wine Show 2023
SILVER: Riverina Wine Show 2023

Fruit Sourcing

Victoria (Rutherglen, Nagambie Lakes)

Harvest Date

March 2022

Grapes

Chardonnay

The 2022 growing season provided plenty of viticultural challenges, with aboveaverage rainfall figures experienced throughout the Spring and summer.  Flowering was very disjointed, with cold, windy and wet weather experienced throughout the very long three week flowering period, which created uneven fruit development, disease pressure, and which ultimately led to lower yields and some uneven ripening.

Summer was mild and will be remembered for two major rainfall events in January – of 70mm and 121mm here at the winery – leaving Rutherglen with its wettest January in recorded history.  ****These two rainfall events put a high level of disease pressure across all varieties, leading us to fruit thin and leaf pluck most of our blocks to improve air-flow and reduce the risk of moulds developing.

February and March were dotted with a couple of rain events, leaving certain varieties close to harvest susceptible to fruit breakdown.   The timing of picking was critical to the overall wine quality.

Overall, the season was around 3 weeks later than usual, with the vintage starting on 23rd February with Alpine Valleys Pinot Grigio.  The majority of the fruit was harvested in the second half of March and April, with the last fruit harvested on 27th April, again picking before the next rain event.

Quality is high in our white varieties, showing great flavour and plenty of natural acidity, ensuring good longevity in the bottle.  The red varieties are reflective of the cooler season, showing more elegance of style, with some highlights across Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in particular.

Our viticultural efforts with our fortified varieties paid off, and despite such a challenging year in the vineyard, we have excellent quality in our Muscats, Topaque and port style wines, with our Portuguese varieties shining through with delicious flavours.

The 2022 Pfeiffer Chardonnay is a blend of fruit from 2 different vineyards – our Sunday Creek vineyard on the Murray River flats and a lovely old vineyard in the Nagambie Lakes region of Central Victoria. Each parcel was picked and handled separately. The Sunday Creek vineyard parcel was hand picked and whole bunch pressed into brand new French oak barriques and our ceramic amphora to undergo natural fermentation on full juice solids. The Nagambie Lakes parcel was crushed and pressed, then fermented on light solids, completing the last ½ of the ferment in new and one year old French oak barriques.

Both parcels were matured on yeast lees for 9-10 months. Weekly batonage in barrel was used to create a creamy texture on the palate. The wine was blended in tank in November to allow gentle settling, before racking in December. The racked wine was then stabilized, fined and clarified in preparation for bottling at the end of December 2022.

Our 2022 Pfeiffer Chardonnay is pale straw in colour and has a lovely, lifted nose of white peach and citrus fruits. The palate is finely structured, with complexity and texture gained from fermentation and extended lees ageing in both our amphora (terracotta egg) and French oak barriques.

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