Alkimi Wines ‘Primavera Vineyard’ Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2021 (6 Bottles) Yarra Valley

$245.00 GST Included

AUSTRALIA WIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED

While chaos was engulfing the whole country (and the world) in March 2020, we were busy picking and fermenting our grapes. Vintage is a sacred time in the winemaking calendar and while I was a little unnerved by the oncoming pandemic, I consciously focused my attention and energy on the important tasks at hand.

The year had an extra challenge as we were back to a mild “Old School” ripening season. Having being so used to warm and compressed vintages of recent memory it took some consideration on how to best handle the picking and winemaking decisions. It was a vintage of holding nerves and staying mentally strong, I learnt a lot throughout this vintage and I’m very proud the wines from the vintage. I believe the most complex wines come from the cooler vintages.

This release is sourced from the Primavera vineyard in the Upper Yarra Valley. The block sits at 230m above sea level and the clone is Bernard 76. The vineyard was planted in 2001 on red friable clay most commonly found in the upper Yarra. The red soils give mid-palate weight to all wines, and Chardonnay is ideally suited to this.

The wine was handpicked and wholebunch pressed to one second-use puncheon. A wild fermentation was conducted and the wine was left to undergo a natural malolactic fermentation. Bottling occurred in January 2021 where the wine is unfined and unfiltered.

The appearance is a pale straw.

The nose opens subtly with the regional trait of Yarra flintiness. After a swirl in the glass, notes of lemon balm and white peach come to the fore. A deeper inspection moves into savoury aromas of almond meal and freshly cut straw on a warm, humid day.

The palate shows biscuit-crumbed lemon tart and fruity peach tones which are lifted by fresh apricot and flashes of pineapple. Woven underneath are notes of cold smoked bacon hoc, tarragon and milky lactic notes. This lusciously textured wine is complimented with sweet-oak held firmly in check by linear acidity and building texture from extended lees contact.

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About Alkimi Wines

My wines are from my heart, and I put my energy and emotion into sculpting wines which I believe in. Many of my decisions are made on instinct and gut feelings where sometimes they are planned and sometimes are spontaneous.

My winemaking philosophy is to limit all techniques to what I classify as “basic principals”, where only fundamental (or traditional) techniques are used to make my wine. I favour natural acidity, wild yeasts and my wines are stabilised naturally only with the aid of Mother Nature.

I don’t use fining agents as I prefer to capture the natural characters of each variety to create unique personality and interest. I do believe that the best wines are the ones that show a distinct personality; personality of not just provenance, but the vintage conditions and the personality of the person/people who made them. My wines will always tell a story.

In 2017 I began farming my own vineyard which I see as an important step for a producer who is always focused on quality and technique. I strive in creating a healthy ecology below and above ground; where I have never used herbicides and I practice organic and sustainable techniques where and when possible.

​Cheers, ​Stuart

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