Dexter Black Label Chardonnay 2024

Nose: Aromas of preserved lemon, white flowers and all spice with a layer of candle wax.

Palate: Consistent with the first black label Chardonnay we made in 2020, this is a more concentrated and driven style. The wine has deep layers of lemon rind, lemon curd and cinnamon spice with refreshing acidity. Although the palate is tightly coiled it provides a generous richness and thickness to the structure with hints of spice and a long finish carried by white tannin. This is a very generous and refreshing Chardonnay that can be enjoyed now but will reward careful cellaring. It is a precise reflection of what 40 year old vines in a mild year can create.

Vintage Notes: The 2024 growing season began with mild temperatures during Spring. However, heavy rainfall from December to February presented challenges, with up to 70mm of rain prior to the critical flowering period reducing berry size. Further rainfall in January meant disease pressure was high. Our site, being located at lower elevation and further north on the peninsula, proved crucial during this time as the Dexter vineyard retained clean, disease-free fruit. Cool temperatures during late summer produced ideal ripening and the grapes retained high levels of natural acidity along with great concentration.

Winemaking Notes: Old vine Dijon and P58 clone chardonnay were picked separately when they reached optimal ripeness. The fruit was chilled overnight in a cold room. This was followed by gentle whole-bunch pressing, oxidative handling and transfer into separate tanks and settling overnight. The juice was then mixed and transferred to 2 x 500L French oak puncheons (100% second fill) to undergo fermentation taking all solids with the juice. During maturation the barrels were stirred occasionally to thicken the palate and maximize flavour potential. These barrels went through some natural malolactic fermentation (50%). The wine was left on yeast lees until December to develop structure; it was then carefully transferred to tank to prepare for bottling. The wine was bottled December 2024, 10 months after harvest. These black label wines have been held in bottle for another 10 months to develop and show at their best for you.