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Hellfire Bay Chardonnay 2010
Producer
The Hellfire Bay wines are made at Plantagenet by John Durham with fruit sourced from various vineyards in Western Australia.
Legend says that the first white settlers arriving in Western Australia believed they were sailing through the gates of hell as they watched St. Elmo’s fire light up the sky above them. As they prayed for mercy, they named the area Hellfire Bay.
Vineyards
The fruit for Hellfire Chardonnay is sourced from the Pemberton region in the south west of West Australia. Deep, fertile Karri gravel and loam soils support the enormous Karri eucalyptus trees that surround the vineyard. The region enjoys cool to mild growing conditions providing perfect growing conditions for grape vines.
Vinification
The processing of the Hellfire Chardonnay is done cold with the juice quickly drained/pressed from the skins and pulp. A clean juice is racked off the lees for fermentation and innoculated with a neutral strain of yeast that ferments efficiently in stainless steel. Once fermented the wine spends 15 months resting on the yeast less with a portion on oak as well. Some lees stirring is applied to provide greater mouth feel along with the oak which also provides creamy vanilla flavours. The wine is bottled in May the following year.
Tasting Notes
Clean and bright in the glass, this wine is fresh and vibrant on the nose with aromas of ripe citrus, tropical fruit, melon and touches of vanilla. This balanced wine is round and smooth, the acidity and juicy fruit character backed by spicy tones from the subtle oak ageing.
| Vintage |
2010 |
| Grape varieties |
100% Chardonnay |
| Region |
Great Southern, Western Australia |
| Winemaker |
John Durham |
| Closure |
Stelvin |
| Alcohol (ABV) |
13% |
