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Margaret River’s secret chardonnay weapon – research sheds new light on the Gingin clone and its origin
Margaret River’s secret chardonnay weapon – research sheds new light on the Gingin clone and its origin
It has always been a mystery how Margaret River, scientifically predicted by Dr John Gladstones in the 1960s as a Bordeaux (cabernet) region, should incidentally be producing some of the world’s greatest chardonnays, a variety whose fame spread from Burgundy, on the other side of France and with a vastly different meteorological and soil pattern from Bordeaux.
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It has always been a mystery how Margaret River, scientifically predicted by Dr John Gladstones in the 1960s as a Bordeaux (cabernet) region, should incidentally be producing some of the world’s greatest chardonnays, a variety whose fame spread from Burgundy, on the other side of France and with a vastly different meteorological and soil pattern from Bordeaux.
What's happening in the winery
Paul is busy blending the aromatic whites (Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends) and filtering the Rosé in preparation for bottling. The Chardonnay barrels are tasted, stirred and topped every 2-3 weeks to add complexity to the wines. The flavours coming from the different Chardonnay batches are sensational.
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The most important work is done in the vineyard
There is a lot happening in the vineyard at the moment. Damon Wanless, our young winery and vineyard hand, is busy spreading fertiliser, turning over and seeding the mid rows to improve soil conditions which is another step in our goal towards becoming a sustainable and biodynamic vineyard.
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Saint Martin French Oak barrels arrive just in time
Paul Dixon has selected a combination of different coopers, forests and toasting to complement the fruit from the Thompson Estate vineyard, among these are the Grande Reserve and Initiale French oak barrels from Tonnellerie Saint Martin.
Twenty six new French oak barrels arrived at Thompson Estate just in time for the first fill of Chardonnay; the barrels literally came off the truck, were put on racks and filled straight away. Needless to say, there was a small panic in the winery that the barrels would not arrive in time as no one could foresee the early start to vintage back in September when the barrels were ordered.
The Saint Martin Grande Reserve is a major component for the Specialist Cabernet, along with some other select coopers. The Initiale barrels from the Allier forest are used as a blending component for the Estate Chardonnay. This year we are trialling the normal two toasts we use, Light Long and Light Medium, with two different shaped barrels, Burgundy shape vs Bordeaux shape. The Burgundy shape is a shorter but wider barrel which means there is more wine to lees contact to produce a more textural and complex wine.
Grande Reserve is an iconic, classical barrel made from wood sourced from the sustainable Tronçais and Jupilles forests. This barrel is designed to accentuate the potential of powerful, concentrated wines by adding smoothness and depth at the end of the ageing process. It is recommended for long maturation periods of 14-20 months. In addition to being one of the main components of the Specialist Cabernet, the Grande Reserve barrels also contribute to a portion of the Estate Cabernet as well as the Andrea Cabernet Merlot.
Initiale is classically made from wood sourced from the sustainable forests of Allier and Vosages with the objective of adding great complexity on the nose as well as elegance and length to the palate. This barrel type is suitable for ageing wine between 10-14 months as the oak integrates quite slowly. The Initiale is mainly used in the Estate Chardonnay with a small portion potentially making it into the Specialist Chardonnay.
Tonnellerie Saint Martin is a third-generation family-owned company with a history of skilled craftsmanship and a love of wine. Hand crafted from the sustainable forests of Allier (including Tronçais), Jupilles and Vosages they are renowned for producing barrels of great complexity and character.