Evans & Tate Chardonnay (75cl, 14%)

A 100% Chardonnay from Margaret River, Western Australia, bottled at 14% ABV in a 750 ml bottle. It undergoes wild fermentation in French oak barriques using cloudy, unsettled juice, with partial malolactic fermentation and extended lees stirring during barrel ageing. The aroma shows ripe stone fruit and fresh pear, dried herbs and flinty minerality, with a malty, toasty lift from barrel fermentation. The palate opens with crunchy nectarine and melon, moving through juicy peach and lemon citrus, with a savoury, almost smoky undercurrent. The finish is medium to long, with crisp acidity, spicy oak notes and lingering flint-like minerality.