Stonier Chardonnay 2015 (6 x 750mL)Mornington Peninsula, VIC.

The 2015 season was incredibly consistent, particularly during the final weeks of ripening and for vintage itself. The daily maximum temperature rarely exceeded 25oC and was more often closer to 20oC. With so much talk of extremes, it was unusual to have such a measured vintage where each block ripened as expected relative to its location on the Peninsula.

The grapes for Stonier Chardonnay were selected from several long term vineyard owners for Stonier, centred near Merricks, Balnarring and Merricks North. With the long history of Stonier on the Mornington Peninsula, most of these vineyards are now in excess of 15 years old, with many more than 20 years old.

The 2015 Stonier Chardonnay was fermented in French oak barriques and puncheons (10% new) with a total maturation period of 9 months. With the elevated acid levels resulting from the cool ripening, several batches from our coolest vineyards were allowed to undergo the acid-softening malo-lactic fermentation (approximately 35%), with the remaining portion withheld to preserve the lovely pure flavours of another strong Chardonnay vintage on the Mornington Peninsula.