Marco Lubiana Chardonnay 2021

The Chardonnay is mainly Huon Valley fruit (85%). Yields were very low, and the fruit was highly concentrated with great natural acidity. The Chardonnay bunches were less affected by the rain than the Pinot Noir but did have some frosted parts that needed discarding. I pressed whole bunches straight to barrel as juice. Some 15% went into high-toast new oak and it all spent 10 months on lees. It went through natural malolactic conversion and eventually spent two months in tank before being racked clear. I’m really happy with this wine, which looks more like the first Chardonnay I made, from 2018. We’re back to more concentration and complexity than in frost-affected 2020. The 2021 Chardonnay’s acid line is well integrated, long and smooth. The wine tastes very Huon. It’s unforced and will age well. – Marco Lubiana