2023 Parley Capitaine Chardonnay

WINEMAKER: Joss, Mel & Sarah
REGION: Coonawarra, SA
VARIETY: Chardonnay
VITICULTURE: Organic

NOSE: Lemon curd, blossom, saline minerality. PALATE: Quince, baked lemon, white peach.

A lovely tension exists between plush fruit, natural acid and an underlining saline minerality from the limestone soils of the vineyard. The barrel fermentation and gentle lees work has built a subtle texture and the fruit weight and body holds up to an acid backbone that provides great length - a very pleasing chardonnay for many palates.

Gingin Clone Chardonnay was wholebunch pressed and cold settled overnight before racking off rough solids to seasoned French barriques for fermentation. After a few days the fermentation kicked off and ticked along nicely at temperatures between 18 and 21 degrees. After 12 days the barrels were ready to be topped out and left on lees with some stirring taking place during elevage. After 9 months in barrel the wine was finished malo and bottled in mid November with 1300 bottles produced.

Fun Fact: Lauren Langfield was kind enough to lend us her press for this one - thanks Lauren you bloody legend.

To ‘parley’ is to hold a conference with opposing sides to discuss terms. As a team of three we got really good at that. We were all wearing many hats at the start of the 2021 vintage - Mel, a brilliant student was in her third year of Viticulture and Oenology at The University of Adelaide, working for Commune of Buttons, Son of Dot Drinks and a mother to be. Sarah was running The Summertown Aristologist and working with Les Fruits. And Joss, at one point, balancing 4 simultaneous jobs and a vintage at Gentle Folk.

Needless to say we needed one another to get things done and swift decision making became our forte. Finding time in our already overcomplicated schedules, we made wine and managed to do it with finesse. For the last year we have been continuously bouncing off one another, discussing and seeking solutions to obstacles and finding consonance in our decisions. We suppose in essence, we are one big Parley.